Spiritual Gifts 101 - [1 Corinthians 12:1ff]

Bethlehem Bible Church

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May 13, 2012

00:00: Just how spiritual are you you speak in tongues?
00:07: Do you interpret tongues? What are tongues? Does God speak to us today and still small voices?
00:15: What are the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in a church? What does it mean to be filled by the
00:20: Spirit baptized by the Spirit? Can you quench the Spirit? What about spiritual gifts and so first Corinthians chapter 12 13 and 14 deal with that issue now?
00:31: We can't get through them all today, but we'll just Dip our toes in the first few verses of chapter 12
00:37: So let's turn our Bibles to 1st Corinthians chapter 12 as we go verse by verse through this great book
00:43: Paul is trying to correct a lot of the problems that are going on at Corinth and as you know they were really
00:49: Selfish at Corinth, and they were really experience -oriented Everything was revolving around self it caused all kinds of problems as you know in chapters 1 through 11 and they were really subjective they were mystical they were really
01:06: Affected by the culture and the culture with all the paganism that was going around in Corinth and up at Athens It affected them in terms of their mind and how they thought about God and so Paul now very pastorally is going to deal
01:19: With the Corinthians and tried to teach them And before we look at the passage the main question that I want to ask and then answer today is are you spiritual
01:31: How do you determine just how spiritual you are? For some people that means well
01:37: I speak in tongues therefore I'm spiritual, and I don't speak in tongues someone else might say that means
01:42: I'm not spiritual Actually that was the problem at Corinth 21 times in chapters 12 13 14 the word tongues is used and there was a group of people at Corinth who said we speak in Tongues that's the highest gift.
01:55: That's the best gift This is the gift that if you're really spiritual you have and anything else's second -class second -rate citizen
02:03: Is that true if I ask you the question are you spiritual? What would be the answer now of course our society they always talk?
02:12: I'm a very spiritual person and spirituality basically in our society means I Experienced God on the golf course.
02:21: I don't like Church in general organized religion. I don't like and Jesus if he's good for you, that's fine, but I just worship
02:29: God in my own way the way I want to that's what spirituality means today. I'm religious
02:35: God has sent eternity in my heart, but I just do what I want to do and no book is gonna make me conform to its
02:42: Commands and demands, but what does Paul mean when he says spirituality are you spiritual?
02:49: Should you want to be spiritual? Now when I read accounts in books called the father's blessings
02:55: It says quote a delightful woman came to Toronto She came from an extremely theological and intellectual background too much thinking.
03:04: She said you can tell where this is gonna go While under God's power she had a vision Jesus took her through events of her childhood, and they relive them together
03:14: This woman used to play soccer and Jesus told her gently that she took the glory for herself So she wept and repented then they played soccer together
03:23: She laughed and laughed at his long robe, then she asked him to be the goalkeeper
03:28: He was so strong. He knocked all the balls away, but then he let her have a goal and she laughed some more
03:36: I'm trying not to laugh myself Then Jesus told her she always acted like a boy
03:42: She said this was true because her father wanted a boy and it hurt her But Jesus showed her that he wanted her to be a girl
03:50: She explained that she saw like a movie before her eyes the yard she used to play in as a child She had a pretty flower dress on and they danced together and her hair blew in the wind
03:59: Jesus told her you know Forever I wanted you as a girl. She cried and cried. It's so wonderful because he planned me to be a girl
04:06: It was all so beautiful Do you experience God like that That the inside deal
04:14: Are you constantly thinking about God this way and God visiting you through dreams and visions and speaking to you?
04:22: Because if you aren't experiencing God like this There's probably something in you that says
04:27: I kind of wish I was I want a deeper relationship with Christ I want to I want more knowledge.
04:33: I want more insight. I want a closer walk with thee But is this the way we get it
04:40: First Corinthians will ask and answer The questions what does it mean to be spiritual?
04:45: And you'll find out very quickly that it has nothing to do with Jesus letting you score a soccer goal
04:51: I don't know what Jesus that was but it certainly wasn't the Jesus of the Bible now I'll give you a little more context 1st
04:58: Corinthians chapter 12 is basically talking about Worshiping God and God governing the way we worship the triune
05:06: God father son and spirit Governs the way we worship. We don't make things up. God tells us what he wants he created us and then he tells us how we
05:15: Should worship him and really the issue is building up the body of Christ It happened in chapter 8 chapter 9 chapter 10 11 12 13 14.
05:25: How do we build up other people and what is real? spirituality How can we exercise our spiritual gifts and these
05:33: Corinthians as I said just a minute ago radical individualism They were on their own. They did what they wanted and Paul patiently talks to them for many chapters
05:43: When you email me a question, sometimes I just give you a short answer one little sentence call pastor
05:49: Steve something very simple But Paul knew they had a problem and for three long chapters
05:56: He just pastorally Patiently pours out his heart so they can have their question answered.
06:03: We don't know the question We do know his answer and the answer is found in chapter 12 13 and 14 and it says here in chapter 12 verse 1 now concerning spiritual gifts
06:15: Remember every time you see now concerning chapter 8 verse 1 Paul is answering a new question
06:21: Remember, we don't have the letter that Paul received from them But we do have the letter Paul sent to them and this whole section is about spirituals
06:31: They actually the the New Testament to read now concerning spirituals This isn't songs from the 1800s.
06:37: This is spiritual gifts now could be translated spiritual gifts are Spiritual people who have gifts and so really it doesn't make any difference because only people have spiritual gifts
06:49: So what about spiritual gifts that people have that's the question and just like today We have lots of questions about spiritual gifts
06:58: So our outline in chapter 12 13 and 14 is going to be very simple We're not going to get very far today, but it will have a first couple certainties
07:06: Let me give you several certainties in our spiritual gifts 101 series
07:12: Objective truths and facts in our day and age of all kinds of subjectivism
07:19: Certainty number one Even though there's lots of confusion regarding charismatic issues
07:24: You can know exactly what you need to know through God's Word in other words
07:30: Even though there are a lot of issues when it comes to spiritual gifts You can know you don't have to be caught up in the haze of spirituality
07:38: The Bible will tell us and that's exactly what Paul is doing. Look at the rest of verse 1. I Do not want you to be uninformed
07:45: He's going to try to tell them this is what the Bible teaches and remember the Corinthians They thought they knew everything and they were boastful and prideful.
07:54: Remember the Bible says that they were puffed up I love that Greek word to be puffed up. It's the sound that you make when you blow up a balloon
08:03: Fusio and they thought they knew it all and they were at the top and and they couldn't be taught and Paul just kept saying
08:09: Over and over remember do you not know do you not know do you not know and now he says it in a little softer?
08:15: Way, I don't want you to be uninformed. I don't want you to be ignorant about Spiritual gifts.
08:21: It's a sensitive topic and Paul wants them to know on a side note May I encourage you that when you're talking to people and friends that you have maybe that are charismatic
08:30: It's not unloving to talk about the issues. It's not unloving to say let's just work through this
08:36: I disagree with you. You disagree with me. Let's work through the issues. That's not unloving. That's good
08:41: That's exactly what Paul is doing. Love rejoices in the truth first Corinthians chapter 13 so here's what
08:49: Paul is going to do. What is the key mark of being spiritual? That's what he's after as he's moving towards this issue.
08:57: What are the marks of spiritual Christianity? Is it in fact tongues? Is it healings?
09:03: Is it interpretation? What really is it? It's something with inspired speech and Paul says
09:11: I don't want you to be ignorant You're running around thinking that you know everything with a badge of superiority You think you know the highest gift the best gift is tongues
09:19: Paul says let's find out then he says in verse 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols.
09:29: However, you were led Paul is saying this in a kind way
09:34: The what you used to be didn't really help you You were led by your impulses led by actually a demon.
09:43: Remember these just aren't pieces of wood that don't talk demonically energized paganism
09:49: Led you along it took you by the nose as it were and pulled you along and he's saying that's the way you used to Live your life.
09:56: You can't do that Now just be led by your feelings and by subjectivism and everything else that can't be you were being led astray
10:05: There's an urgency Corinth to know the right thing You were led astray before and now
10:11: I'm gonna tell you the right thing pay attention I really want you to know and it's interesting when it says these mute idols.
10:18: I Said to the first service it was al moeller. I believe who said our God Yahweh is invisible, but he talks
10:26: Their gods are pagan pieces of wood and stone and silver and gold
10:32: But they don't talk I was gonna teach kids. I would say there's their lips are zipped they don't talk at all and people at Corinth just Worshipped and worshipped and worshipped remember in our reading today that Scott read for Habakkuk to Woe to him who says to a wooden thing awake and to a silent stone arise try doing that with your kids sometime
10:55: I did that once we drove by a particular Brand of church and I got out to had all the kids get out and they have statues of people and statues of men and statues of women and You can just say all you want to those statues.
11:08: They're nothing. They're not gonna listen to you Can this teach? No, it can't teach
11:15: So Paul is saying your paganism didn't help you. So let me teach you the truth as an apostle your
11:22: Experiences were marked by deception in the past Don't be deceived now it is an untrustworthy guide to just experience and just get caught up in the flow
11:32: I'm just experiencing God and just whatever comes my way. I'm just gonna kind of empty my mind. He says don't do that You're proud and arrogant and boasting that hasn't helped you now
11:49: Let's just think about this for a moment these experiential Corinthians relied on subjective experience and Subjective hearing from God and all kinds of other things and Paul is going to try to correct them
12:03: Friends today in the charismatic movement in general I think the same thing is happening now
12:08: I want to say this because it's right to say and I believe it to be true. I Don't hate charismatics.
12:16: I don't hate charismatics at all And actually some charismatics are fine scholars from Gordon Fee to Wayne Grudem But I think there's a theme in many charismatic circles and that things are subjectively
12:29: Experienced and that is validated as truth and Paul, I believe would say to them there's a subjective truth that you have and it has to be confirmed and affirmed by the external
12:42: Word of God in other words sola scriptura,
12:52: I Grew up drop my mom would drive us to school masters elementary school
12:58: And it was in Nebraska had nothing to do with master seminary and the masters monarchs and mom would drive us to school
13:04: And I would listen to Jimmy Swigert all the way to school every day Thinking about Tarzan but listening to Jimmy Swigert I went to a
13:15: Lutheran Church and our pastor spoke in tongues My pastor there was very kind to our family when my father died.
13:21: I got saved I went to a Calvary Chapel. My pastor had a private prayer language He said and so my my my pedigree is from the charismatic movement.
13:31: I don't hate charismatics MacArthur was asked you hate charismatic. He said no, I married one. So see it has nothing to do with we hate people
13:38: It has everything to do with if there's a subjective influence and experiencing
13:43: God based on initiated by feelings and impressions and intuition
13:49: I'm gonna try to tell you as nicely as I can that undermines sola scriptura if I want to say things a little more bluntly after I've given my my
13:59: You know, I'm trying not trying to hurt anyone I'm not mad at anyone, but I believe that the modern charismatic movement or maybe if you want me to say the excess
14:09: The excesses in the modern charismatic movement have done more to undermine sola scriptura than anything else in the last 300 years
14:18: Because of experience trumps then why do we need the Word of God and you can just hear the way people talk think about Corinth I speak in tongues
14:28: It must be true Well, I have never spoken tongues This person over here then says since you haven't experienced it.
14:36: How can you contradict it? I would say you say I've experienced tongues. Therefore.
14:42: It's true. Your experience is leading you I say I haven't spoken tongues and therefore my experience is teaching that it can't be true
14:50: Both arguments are wrong. What does the Bible teach and Paul is trying to make it very clear What does the
14:55: Bible teach about these issues? tongues Spirituality what's at the top of the list for being?
15:02: spiritual If you are a charismatic here today are a non charismatic. Here's what
15:07: I want you to do I want you to realize that seeing is not believing. I want you to realize the sufficiency of Scripture Everything you need is found in the scriptures and the second you turn inside and say
15:21: God is talking to me It's an impression. I have a hunch. I've got the peace about it.
15:26: God is talking to him in a still small voice I want to challenge you. Here's the challenge How do you know it's
15:33: God when your heart is fallen? How can you know it's you it's
15:39: God talking to you or it's your own heart talking to you and remember Your heart is fallen
15:47: We believe in depravity. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool But he who walks wisely will be delivered.
15:55: We are not to trust ourselves The second you want to have an inner word from God and you move away from the external word
16:03: You will be just like the Corinthians Confused and you don't need to be confused the second you say it is scripture plus experience
16:13: For truth, then you're going down the confusion alley. By the way, do I want you to have experiences?
16:19: Do I want you to have love and joy and peace and wonderful experiences in life? Of course I do but experience doesn't determine truth two religions in the world religion one
16:30: The Bible from the external source Influences everything I think about God it alone contains truth.
16:38: That's religion one according to B .B Warfield religion two is that it's the
16:43: Bible plus inward impressions and intuition and everything else
16:49: The second you go to the second one, you're gonna be in trouble because intuition is fallible
16:55: Impressions are fallible. Your heart is wicked. You need an external outside source the second you go to the inner word
17:06: John Calvin would call you a Fanatic you can't trust that and we live in a day and age today where we are ripe with the fruit of mysticism visions and God talking
17:19: Actually, if you looked at someone if you talk to someone today and they step back and said let me explain to you
17:25: What evangelical Christianity is they would most likely describe to you a crazier?
17:31: Charismatic blend one man said once a congregation or a person sees scripture as less than the final complete
17:42: Infallible authority for faith and life. It has thrown open the door to absolute chaos If you say
17:52: I've experienced something there. It must be true as David. Well says at Gordon Conwell. You've now exchanged autobiography you've exchanged theology for autobiography
18:02: It happened to me. Therefore. It must be true But the converse is true as well if it didn't happen to me, then that's true as well
18:09: No, we have to go to what the Bible teaches and the Bible either teaches tongues
18:15: It's for today or it's not for today doesn't teach both Even Gordon fee a respectable charismatic said quote in General the
18:25: Pentecostals experience has preceded their hermeneutics in a sense
18:31: The Pentecostal tends to exegete his experience So if you're
18:36: Pentecostal, I don't want you to do that. And neither does Gordon fee mysticism bypasses the mind
18:46: The plumb line is God's Word for many people They'll say we're Protestants and we don't like the
18:52: Bible plus sacraments the Bible plus tradition the Bible plus Mary the Bible Plus the magisterium and the
18:59: Protestants who say no to Roman Catholicism Rightfully defend Sola Scriptura the
19:05: Bible alone as the sufficient Word of God But those same people who rightly say that Wrongly oftentimes say it's the
19:14: Bible plus the mysticism the impressions The intuition and everything else and they like the
19:21: Catholics deny Sola Scriptura in practice The Bible never mark this never commands you to tune into your inner voice
19:30: It says to meditate on scripture study scripture show yourself approved.
19:36: It never tells you to go inside Actually when you go inside the Bible teaches that it is the immature person who does that It's not a healthy thing for you to go.
19:46: I'm looking on the inside. I've got a decision to make I need help God speak to me. I think they just told me something or I've got a sign or a fleece friends
19:55: That is a sign of immaturity not maturity Actually, sometimes you know what it is.
20:02: I didn't say this first service, but I could have wanting to be Confirmed in your actions all the time
20:09: I don't know if I really want to do this or not because I don't know if God wants me to do I marry This person do I take that job?
20:14: Do I marry do I move to this particular place? What should I do here at work? Desiring to have some kind of internal confirmation from God can end up being idolatry
20:25: When God just says I've equipped you I've given you everything you have the word you have my spirit You can pray and then you just need to make a decision
20:33: The Bible is authoritative. It is exhaustive It is final sure and reliable and if you say yes,
20:40: I believe that but you don't believe in the sufficiency of Scripture you believe in the Deficiency of Scripture listen to Peter's account marking
20:54: Bible first experience underneath For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our
21:02: Lord Jesus Christ But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Remember Peter James and John saw
21:08: Christ Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration For when he received honor and glory from God the
21:14: Father and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory Not just eyewitness, but ear witness
21:20: This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased We ourselves Heard this very voice born from heaven for we were with him on the holy mountain and we have the prophetic word made more what?
21:33: Sure, what's more sure than with your own eyes and your own ears seeing Jesus on the mountain?
21:40: The Word of God is more sure than that That's Peter's point. No wonder then he says in which you do well to pay attention to a lamp shining in a dark place
21:52: What is more sure than experience it is the Word of God that's Peter's point
21:59: The Corinthians were walling around in well I've had this experience therefore it must be true and it must be true.
22:06: And then what you have not experienced must be Inferior that is faulty hermeneutics
22:17: The only standard Zaspel says which can adequately answer such a question is
22:22: Scripture not Experience Let me give you a modern -day illustration
22:28: How many people believe this next sentence heaven is for real I do it's heaven for real.
22:36: How do you know heaven's for real? Because the Bible teaches heaven and to live is
22:42: Christ and to die gain You look at the eternal state in chapter 21 and 22 you see
22:47: Paul Heaven is for real now Do you believe heaven is more real because some
22:54: I can say this because I'm from Nebraska so for those of you who are visiting you don't know some Hick kid from the middle of the
23:01: Midwest of Nebraska had a vision and wrote about heaven is for real and his vision by the Way said things about heaven that contradict
23:09: Scripture Yeah, but you know what God has really blessed that book. God has used that book to do mighty things in people's lives
23:16: That's exactly the problem It's an unbiblical book Written by a kid in Nebraska.
23:23: I remember when I was there in Nebraska just 20 miles down the road What what they call the road back in Nebraska there and everybody's like what about heaven for real?
23:31: What about him for real? You watch within five years somebody else will have supposedly died and will have gone to heaven or hell or purgatory or perdition or someplace and then be on the circuit to say
23:43: This is what's true or not Because you've experienced heaven Therefore it's real
23:49: This is exactly what Paul is against. It's exactly what the Corinthians were doing. You don't need that book
23:55: It's full of nonsense and false things about God, but if your hermeneutic is I've experienced it.
24:00: It must be good It was pleasant saw grandpa up there and a bunch of horses and wings and all whatever else he saw
24:09: Well, yeah, but you didn't do it. How can you say no to his experience? I don't need to say no to his experience because what does the
24:15: Bible teach and the Bible teaches if you actually do go to heaven What happened to Paul he was told not to talk about it because it was such a great vision and he was given humbling thorn
24:28: Whether you're charismatic today are not charismatic today. May I encourage you to trust in the authority the sufficiency of Scripture alone and you interpret your experiences in light of Scripture never the other way around And I think it's fair to say that the majority of the charismatic movement does the opposite are there exceptions?
24:49: Praise the Lord there are exceptions, but in general don't fall prey to what the Corinthians did
24:55: I had an experience Therefore it's the best you have an experience then interpret it by Scripture spiritual gifts 101
25:05: Certainty number two not only can we know and that was more of implied point But this is a reason why
25:10: Paul writes these three chapters to tell them they can know this is more an explicit point number two
25:16: The Holy Spirit gives all gifts to highlight Christ's supremacy
25:21: The Holy Spirit gives gifts to highlight Christ's supremacy found in verse 3
25:27: Let's read verse 3 and then let's talk about it a little bit Therefore I want you to understand.
25:35: Can you just hear him again? Just Apostle Paul patient kind. I want you to understand that No one speaking in the
25:43: Spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed and no one can say
25:49: Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit All right, let's think through this
25:56: How do you know a person is under the control of the Spirit of God? That's the big point with Corinth We say
26:04: Corinthians say it's by speaking in tongues. It's by baptism of the Holy Spirit It's by being filled with the
26:11: Holy Spirit That's how I know I'm in total control and God owns me through the Spirit of God is that I have these
26:17: Manifestations and Paul says no you want to know the top the apex the Mount Everest of saying that you've been
26:24: Experiencing God to the fullest. Here's how it'll manifest itself Jesus is
26:29: Lord Now you say well some people can say Jesus is
26:35: Lord because as a pagan you can go Jesus Lord But of course they don't mean it, of course, it's not from the heart
26:42: It's not with assent and an intellect and saving faith. Remember many will say to me on that day
26:47: Lord Lord I didn't you know, I did all these charismatic things and you'll say I Didn't know you you practice lawlessness
26:55: But to really mean it to say Jesus is Lord. Where does that come from? But let's look at this first part
27:04: Jesus Jesus is accursed. No one speaking of the Spirit can say Jesus is accursed Now some people think that was happening in the
27:10: Corinthian worship service Can you imagine somebody coming up to the front and saying Jesus is accursed and swirling around like some whirling dervish or something?
27:18: I? Don't think that really was happening if it did it did but Paul is saying When you're a pagan you say
27:26: Jesus is accursed Especially if I won't shouldn't say pagan if you're a Jew remember Deuteronomy 21
27:32: Cursed is the man who hangs on a what tree you can imagine the Jewish people looking at the
27:37: Messiah going. He's not the Messiah You're a curse from God if you hang on a tree
27:43: Paul's just using this to counterbalance the main point. You can't say Jesus is Lord without the
27:48: Holy Spirit and Really meet it mean it that is the oldest creed. Jesus is
27:54: Lord by the way Lord What should go through your mind right now? Lord curious
28:01: New Testament word This is the translation of the Old Testament word where we get
28:08: Yahweh Jehovah as some people say the way you would translate if you're if you're
28:15: Quoting a verse from the Old Testament in the new from Hebrew to Greek and you see the word
28:21: Yahweh Lord all caps the way you translate Yahweh is curious
28:28: Lord who can say Jesus is Yahweh show me a Jew who can say Jesus is
28:33: Yahweh and I'll tell you something that's happened That person what has happened to that person? The Spirit of God has arrested them and quickened them and instead of saying
28:41: Jesus should be cursed They say Jesus is the Savior the substitutionary atonement
28:48: It's Christ Jesus the Lord the priest and the sacrifice raised from the dead So the
28:53: Corinthians were saying do you know what? We've got tongues. Yes, we do. We've got tongues
28:59: How about you and Paul is saying if you can say because of the
29:06: Spirit of God's work in you Jesus is Lord That's the most spiritual thing that you could ever say This isn't the haves and the have -nots.
29:13: And by the way, that's what another thing sadly that many many charismatic churches Foster even though it might not be intentionally we have these gifts and there are people that don't have those gifts the haves and the have -nots and For Paul if you're a
29:29: Christian here today charismatic are non -charismatic the highest form of spirituality is
29:35: Jesus is Lord the most basic confession Christ is
29:40: Lord has nothing to do with tongues. You have to say it in a different language It doesn't have to be in gibberish doesn't have to be an impression or intuition
29:46: Jesus is Lord Recognizing by the
29:53: Spirit's work Paul says you guys have so many factions You had factions because you followed men chapter 1.
30:01: I'm a polis. I'm a Paul. I'm a facetious I'm of the Lord you had economic factions in chapter 11.
30:07: We're the poor people We're the rich people and the rich eat all the food and communion and now you've got another faction.
30:13: We got the Spirit Yes, we do and you've got nothing Paul Saying that the top of the list if you ever say to yourself, you know,
30:21: I'm wanting more in my life I I watch TBN all day a stop it No wonder you're confused you watch
30:28: TBN all day and it will ruin your mind I don't know about you, but I don't let my kids have ice cream every day
30:35: They could have ice cream sandwiches on My mother's birthday morning because mom always let him have ice cream sandwiches when they were shipped over to their house
30:44: But I don't give him ice cream sandwiches every morning Because it wouldn't be good for them. You turn on the
30:50: TV and you're like, you know, well, I've got it kind of nuanced Here's what I do. Here's how I watch TBN I decide we're gonna have a little game and how many seconds does it take to listen to heresy?
31:00: Well, I guess you can do that if you like, but if you're in seminary and you want to do it Okay, if you're not you ought to stop watching things that confuse you
31:12: Paul is trying to undermine this elitism Jesus Christ is confessed by all
31:19: Christians male female black white everything in between rich poor and by the way
31:28: If you have come to Christ Jesus and say Jesus is Lord Was it your own free will that did it?
31:36: I? Think the look of the text. What's it say? No one can say Jesus is Lord except by his own free will
31:44: Nobody else influenced me I'm not influenced by God at all. I gotta make this decision on my own.
31:50: I'm not a robot. I'm not a puppet By the way, let me just refresh your mind and just give you a glorious truth.
31:56: No free will in heaven Will you be a robot? You couldn't sin in heaven if you wanted to will you be a puppet?
32:05: This whole thing if you don't have free will then we're not human then you're not human in heaven because you can't sin even if You wanted to you won't even think of sin
32:15: Unbelievers are slaves to their own sin Romans 6 Unbelievers are slaves to the world
32:21: Ephesians 2 Unbelievers are slaves to do Satan's will 2nd Timothy chapter 2
32:28: How can you extract yourself from that? As I said before we are so influenced as a people.
32:35: You can't even watch a commercial without getting hungry When you see a commercial for a Wendy's Frosty, you want a
32:41: Wendy's Frosty You are influenced how much more by sin and Satan But when
32:48: God comes along and he regenerates you and he quickens you and he makes you alive by his free will.
32:54: What do you do? Jesus is Lord How do you come to faith by your own bootstraps by your own determination?
33:03: God's like I'm not gonna force you to do anything. I'm Jesus the gentleman. Well, you need to reread this verse again
33:09: No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. He gives you new life and you freely say
33:16: Jesus is Lord By the way on a side note if you've got an unbelieving friend You can't coerce them.
33:23: You can't bribe them. Oh, you could beg them You could encourage them and you could preach to them
33:29: But if you want your spouse saved you want your kids saved then you better ask God the
33:34: God of the universe Who can say I will open these people's hearts when I please and when he opens them they will respond with what
33:41: I Believe for my mom's sake No, they'll say Jesus is
33:48: Lord And by the way, you all pray that way for those of you thinking I don't believe in the sovereignty of God in salvation
33:54: Yes, you do because you pray what way? dear Lord Please arrange things in such a way that they are not going to be puppets or they're not going to be robots
34:04: Their own free will they can come to know you you don't pray that way
34:11: Unless you're weird, I guess I don't know you pray this way God save my dad save my mom save my kids and The way you can know they're saved is because then they'll say instead of just believing all this going along with you
34:25: I believe I trust that Jesus is Lord. I die by the grace of God for that truth in Context Paul is saying everyone is equal
34:38: That's why I get so bothered by The charismatic stripe that says we have the full gospel and you don't really
34:49: So what you mean by that? I think is mark 16 at the end of that But they are not careful when they say we believe the full gospel
34:58: Then I guess that means we don't and that's exactly what Paul was after because the Corinthians were doing the same thing
35:03: I guess preaching Christ Jesus and him crucified isn't enough Just giving you half the gospel
35:10: Say well, this church isn't very spirit -filled We've had people who've come to Bethlehem Bible Church and when the singing was almost over leave the church
35:20: And one of the one of you brave souls would run out to the car to say to the people. Are you okay? You know, do you need a defibrillator?
35:26: Is everything fine? We don't like the worship not Holy Spirit filled Okay, I guess if you mean it's a drumbeat and a bass guitar that you feel to experience but if you mean
35:40: We're not singing songs about the Lordship of Christ if we aren't then
35:45: I don't think we're spirit -filled But show me a spirit -filled church and I'll show you a church that says Jesus is my all -in -all
35:50: Gone Christ a solid rock. I stand all of the ground is sinking sand Immortal invisible
35:55: God only wise Jesus is the full God Yahweh. That is a spirit -filled church I don't care if all the songs are chants are all the songs are peppy
36:06: Well, you know what you guys need to have a second blessing there. Can you tell me one thing?
36:13: I need that's not found in Christ Jesus Is there one thing that I can't find in Christ Jesus that the
36:20: Spirit of God has for you, but he doesn't have for me He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also give us freely all
36:33: Things That's exactly what Paul would tell the Church of Corinth. You think you're in because you've got these special gifts
36:41: Everybody's in no matter what gifts you have and we'll learn soon enough in this these chapters that everyone has at least one spiritual gift
36:49: I don't need a second blessing Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus We have them all
37:01: Well, you need to be filled with the Spirit and have the baptism of Holy Spirit to speak in tongues or else you're not spiritual
37:07: Jesus is Lord Jesus is
37:16: Yahweh That's by the Spirit of God Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you
37:24: But my father who is in heaven can't find
37:31: Jesus through personal discovery The Spirit of God has to work and when he does you'll say Jesus is
37:38: Lord Remember back in those days just say to Caesar is Lord and you live
37:45: Just say Caesar is Lord you make it No, Jesus is Lord and I might cost you your life to not say
37:53: Nero Curios like polycarp Quadratus said say away with the atheist swear by the godhood of Caesar and blaspheme
38:02: Christ Polycarp Eighty and six years have I served Christ and he has never done me wrong
38:08: How can I blaspheme my king who saved me? Turn me turn with me if you would to Matthew 26 keep your finger on first Corinthians 12
38:18: I think you'll find this insightful and something very important to see how the Spirit of God works in the life of a person will get into healings and miracles and prophecies and all that in weeks to come
38:29: But at the baseline if you say Jesus is Lord you are spiritual It's the highest form of spirituality
38:36: Jesus Yahweh is Lord Look how this has manifest itself in Matthew 26
38:44: Verse 20, you know the passage, but I wonder if you've thought about it when it was evening
38:50: Matthew 26 20 He reclined at table with the twelve and as they were eating he said truly
38:56: I say to you one of you will betray me They were very sorrowful and began to say to one say to him one after another.
39:04: Is it I? What? Lord Peter, is it I Lord? Andrew is it
39:12: I Lord? James is it I Lord? John is it
39:18: I Lord? He answered He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me
39:25: The Son of Man goes as it is written him But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed it would have been better for that man if he had not been born
39:36: Judas who would betray him answered is it I? He said to him you have said so isn't that interesting?
39:52: No one can say Jesus is Lord and truly mean it I'm not just talking about words that come out of people's mouths
39:59: Judas didn't believe Jesus was Lord in a saving way the Messiah sent to redeem
40:05: Israel And all those who would believe the top of your spiritual experience is having
40:14: God know you and then you respond with knowing Christ furthermore
40:20: Show me a spirit -filled church, and I'll show you a church that points to Jesus and not the
40:26: Holy Spirit Show me a spirit -filled church and the talk about the
40:32: Spirit of God will be minimal compared to the maximization Maximizing preaching of Jesus is
40:39: Lord turn with me to John chapter 15 I want you to see this people say all the time.
40:44: Are you a spirit -filled church answer if we talk about Jesus? We are I Asked them the question are you a spirit -filled church because of all you talk about is the baptism of the
40:53: Holy Spirit the filling of The Holy Spirit the utterances of the Holy Spirit the gifts of the Holy Spirit You're not a spirit -filled church because spirit -filled churches point to Jesus because the spirit in spirit -filled churches
41:04: He is the Holy Spirit who points to Jesus. That's what he does. That's what he does. That's what all the gifts do
41:10: Well, that's not Holy Spirit filled church, okay? Let's see what
41:16: Jesus says in John 15 and in John 16 as the disciples were sad that he was going to leave But he's going to give them another one to encourage them the
41:25: Spirit of God We believe in one God three persons God the Father God the Son God the
41:30: Spirit the eternal Son of God the eternal Spirit The eternal Father and here
41:35: Jesus is going to leave but he sends them a helper John 1526 This is really good
41:42: But when the Helper comes capitalized the Spirit of God not a force
41:48: Not an it The Holy Spirit whom I send to you from the Father the
41:54: Spirit of truth Who not that who proceeds from the
41:59: Father? He will bear witness about Himself the text says Now could the
42:05: Spirit of God bear witness to himself as the third member of the Trinity the eternal Spirit the eternal God Could he say but I want to bear witness to myself
42:15: That is to say theologically he's God and could be worshiped as such But he has decided to be the silent member of the
42:21: Trinity and to kind of bend down as it were to stay out of The scene and point the spotlight on to Jesus.
42:27: That's exactly what's happening here. He will bear witness about Me Jesus said and you will also bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning
42:36: He says the same thing in chapter 16 verse 14 Corinthians thought they were a
42:42: Holy Spirit filled church, and they were running around who's best Spirit of God when you have gifts
42:48: And you have gifts if you're a Christian point to Christ Jesus and honor him even if you're helping or you're leading
42:54: He John 16 14 will glorify me The Spirit of God will glorify the eternal
43:01: Son of God for he will take what is mine and declare it to you Christians the
43:08: Holy Spirit exalts Jesus Christ Holy Spirit filled churches exalt
43:13: Jesus Christ and Paul said I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him Crucified and the
43:19: Holy Spirit Now, of course, he believes in the Holy Spirit But the Holy Spirit teaches through his own inspired word that the spotlight is on Jesus Christ Paul said in chapter 1 of 1st
43:33: Corinthians and because of him you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness sanctification and Redemption everything you need is found in the person and work of Christ Jesus So, let's rewind all the way back to the back are you spiritual
43:52: It has nothing to do with words of knowledge words of wisdom Speaking in tongues gift of healings the miraculous
44:00: We'll see that that was going on back then and we'll answer the question does it go on today? But at the root there is no such thing in a
44:07: Christian circle as the haves and the have -nots and I hope that is encouraging to you because for me when
44:14: I first got saved and I was at a Conservative charismatic church, and I heard people talking about how they wanted to speak.
44:21: They did speak in tongues Don't you want with really good motives even everything that God has for you.
44:28: I Do and if God has a special private prayer language for me and something special I want it
44:36: Because I want to be all that God wants me to be and I want to have that special relationship with God I want to honor him.
44:42: I live for myself for 29 years now. I want to serve him But now knowing what you know about even these three verses
44:52: You don't need to search for something. We'll find out in weeks to come God gives these gifts sovereignly anyway, and you say well,
44:59: I don't I can't speak in tongues. Well God gives those things Sovereignly to people you can't even get a gift.
45:04: You can't even earn a gift. You can't even ask for a gift The great news is if God sees you in Christ Jesus.
45:10: He sees you with open arms. You are acceptable You are spiritual. You can't go to a higher plane
45:18: You can live more of who you are positionally that has nothing to do with these gifts If you can say
45:23: Jesus is Lord You are a Christian and you've been given the words to utter that will bring
45:29: Christ the most glory I thought I was Lord. The Red Sox are Lord. My kids are
45:35: Lord. My stomach's Lord Jesus is Lord That's that's at the very top and if he's our
45:47: Lord Then we want to focus on him and love him and tell others about him
45:53: How do you know if you're spiritual? Well has God opened your eyes to the work of the
45:59: Spirit and like Lydia has he opened your heart to respond to the things the Lord and If you have been you are spiritual makes me so glad I don't have to run around and say
46:11: I've just got to be more Spiritual I can't be more forgiven. I can't be more justified. I can't have more of Christ's righteousness imputed to my account
46:18: I can't be more spiritual Positionally I can't be so in weeks to come we'll look at some other passages regarding Healings gifts miracles and everything else one body many members, but for today
46:32: Let's pray Thank you father for our time in the word I just pray that you would use it seal it to our hearts and Father we would ask that you'd help us to be kind and generous to other people
46:44: You would help us to teach them and father. Thank you for letting us say with the heart of full confidence
46:51: Jesus is Lord and we confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord And we believe that you have raised the
46:57: Son from the dead all that is a work of your spirit Help us to be like the Spirit of God and help us to obey the
47:04: Spirit of God to focus on Christ Jesus Thank you for teaching us these things in Jesus name.