Transformed By The Word

There's all kinds of ideas about sanctification and being holy and some people think that might come with a zap or some kind of personal encounter with God, other people might think that's going to happen by getting slain in the Spirit.

What I'd like to do this morning is try to show you that the Word and the Spirit work together and that the Spirit of God by His own sovereign will and decreed purpose uses the Word of God to sanctify Christians.

So therefore at the end of the day you'll say I'd like to be more like Christ. The instrument that I should be using should be the should be the Word of God, you want to be more holy? I can tell you by experience but I can tell you by scripture this is the key to your holiness.

Not some kind of regular book but the inspired Word of God, God breathed the Word he uses to correct, to reprove, to rebuke and to train you in every aspect of righteousness. Now I feel like I'm talking to the choir because you all know and why would you come to a Sunday school at our church unless you wanted to hear things from the Bible.

But about 18 years ago I got this paper that I just handed out to you and I don't even know who the author is but I will tell you ahead of time that the author isn't me and so I just I think maybe those notes are mine that only Tracy can understand.

But these, this little chart we're going to work through today very simply and you're not gonna probably learn anything new per se but you'll be reminded again that if I want to be holy I will use God's Word and the Spirit will apply what I've learned to my mind, by the way what does mind and heart, is there a difference between mind and heart in Christianity?

People say that's head knowledge but it hasn't gotten to my heart yet. Is that the right kind of thinking? We say it all the time in English. That's the right way of thinking in Hebrew and Greek. The heart and mind are so connected it's inseparable.

You'd say heart to a Jew or heart to a Greek and he would think or she would think mission control center. He would think or she would think. You know everything. I am tied up with my emotions but my mind as well.

So you're gonna see today that God is going to use your mind slash heart with the Word to transform you. So we better get in the Bible as soon as we can. If you look at the top, God's plan of transformation obviously it all stems from the work of Christ for us.

Does anybody know Romans chapter 5 verse 8 by memory? Okay excellent, when you have God making His love conspicuous God promoting or advertising His love for us. In what particular event would best signify the love of God?

The answer according to Romans chapter 5 is the death of Christ the substitutionary death of Christ. Then it says it results in the work of the Holy Spirit within us. And then you see the kind of I like to use this word just because I like to use it, this bifurcation.

There are just some words that you love to use. There was a professor back at Dallas Seminary and he used to read the dictionary and you could tell what section of the dictionary he was in because he would always use the words that he was just learning.

So he would be using adroit or some kind of word. You knew he was in the A's and I love the word bifurcation. So you see this split by like bicycle on the left hand column the Holy Spirit and the right hand column God's Word.

And you will see in each of these sections a similarity. And we're gonna look at the verses for each of these. And just to give you the overview first Holy Spirit bears witness of Christ. God's Word bears witness to Christ.

Holy Spirit brings conviction. God's Word brings what? Conviction. Holy Spirit imparts knowledge. God's Word imparts knowledge. And so what we'll do today is we're gonna see how the Word of God and the Spirit of God are used in the wisdom of God to transform us.

Because I want you to know that it is the Bible that God will use. The Holy Spirit will use the Bible to make you say no to sin and yes to righteousness. It's not going to be some kind of dream that will make you holy.

It's not going to be some kind of trying hard and sweating and working and toiling outside the Bible to make you holy. God is going to use the Word. Matter of fact I can say it this way. Who do you know in church history?

Your favorite missionary William Carey. Your favorite missionary-ette. Who's your favorite lady missionary? I have my favorite one. Who's your favorite? Mary Slessor is my favorite. Who is Mary Slessor?

A Scottish lady, prim and proper. And she decides to go to Africa. And she decides to rescue twins. Because twins of course are demon-possessed. Didn't you know that? Of course they're not demon-possessed but that's what the culture thought.

So she rescued 51 sets of twins saved them from their own death and then wanted to preach the gospel to them. Every one of your favorite preachers favorite missionaries past or present were students and experts in what?

The Word of God. I'm going to just I don't want to be mean but I'm going to just be aggressive. I defy you to find me one great Christian who wasn't an expert in the Word of God. Can you think of one?

I don't care if they're on your side of the theological fence whether they're John Wesley or they're John Calvin they all were experts in the Bible. And then the Spirit of God uses that Bible knowledge to shape and to mold and to cut and to fine tune the Christian.

So I want to just tell you today what you already know. You need the Word of God to be transformed. And you need it whether you're 15 or 58 or 85 questions so far? Who's the oldest person in the Bible?

I'm just thinking about age. Can you think about his Bible knowledge? Wow. Can you think about how bad his back must have hurt? Alright we're going to look up each of these Holy Spirit bears witness of Christ.

And then God's Word bears witness of Christ. Because I want you to see in your own Bibles this truth. So let's look up John 15 verse 26. You want to get your Bibles out. We're going to look up a lot of verses.

And if you can use your own Bible for your own study the same Bible for your own study. Rather I think it would be helpful because you can say okay John 14. I know I've been there before. It's half way down on the right hand side and you can quickly find that John chapter 15 verse 26 the Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ.

As we're turning to look this up one of the ways I can find a Spirit filled church is a church that promotes Jesus Christ. Because the Spirit of God could say look at me worship me. I am fully God. Is the Spirit.

Fully God? Completely? Fully? Divine essence? Divine nature? Eternal God of the ages? The Holy Spirit. Yes? Could He in fact say or could the Father say of Him worship the Holy Spirit. Focus on Him. Would that be right?

He could definitely do that. But the Holy Spirit has been given the great privilege and role in the triune Godhead to promote Jesus Christ. I've had many people come to me and they say your church is not Holy Spirit filled.

And I just say what do you mean by that? And they usually mean because we don't have some kind of Holy Spirit manifestations in 1 Corinthians 12 or 14. And what I say to them show me a church that takes the Word of God to promote Christ Jesus.

And I'll show you a Spirit filled church because the Spirit it's almost like He hides behind the door and says don't look at me look at Jesus Christ. He promotes Christ Jesus. In this particular case we see the verses.

John chapter 15 verse 26. When the helper comes whom I will send to you from the Father that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father He will testify about it. Could say the Father that would be good.

The Father would deserve it. It could say Himself and He as the Spirit of God as God Himself. That would be proper. But according to the wise plan of God the Spirit of God testifies about Jesus. So the Spirit testifies about Jesus.

When you read this Bible what do you think this Bible points to? To whom does this Bible point? Christ Jesus. Let's look at John chapter 5 and I think you'll see this. The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to testify and bear witness of Christ Jesus.

But additionally in God's Word you can take the Bible and say this is a book that's all about Jesus Christ. John chapter 5 verse 39. You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.

It is these. What's these referring to? It is these that testify about me. Everything about the scripture points to Christ. Now I don't want you to go too crazy and open up your Bible at random and say this verse refers to Jesus.

But in total in direction. In overview this is a book about Jesus Christ. Whether you're in Genesis whether you're in Leviticus or whether you're in Revelation the Word of God testifies to one person of the Trinity especially Jesus Christ.

Questions so far? All right. So the Spirit of God and God's Word bear witness of Christ. Secondly the Spirit of God and God's Word bring conviction. Let's take a look at the conviction verse found in John chapter 16 verse 8.

Of course we know the context here and coming to the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and in the future. But here just reading it to give us a general idea. John 16 verse 8. And He when He comes will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

Now pulling away from that verse for a minute is it true that the Spirit of God convicts us of sin? Who else would do it? We probably wouldn't convict ourselves of sin. We probably convict ourselves of that was inconvenience.

That was some crime that I have to pay. No but the Spirit of God comes and He convicts us of sin. Well similarly is that a word? Similarly feel like I was saying some Tolkien novel his name. That's even harder to pronounce God's word.

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 and 13. Very well known verses also say that God's word brings conviction. And you can just see how this is all going. The word of God is used by the Spirit of God to do the same purpose.

I could even say well if the word of God is the Logos is Christ incarnate. In a sense you can see how this all works together. Hebrews 4 .12. You know the verses for the word of God is living active sharper than any two-edged.

Now there's different words in the Bible for sword. Which one do you think this is? You think this is some kind of huge sword that's used by some huge Andre the Giant kind of guy to just lop off people's arms.

Or do you think this is something that's a little smaller and more precise and used of kind of almost a surgical preciseness and precision. Which one do you think it would be? Well the rest of the verse should give us some insight and piercing as far as the division of things that can't be undone as far as the division of soul and spirit there's no difference between soul and spirit.

You have a body and a soul or you have a body and a spirit. But here this great huge big sword can dig down into small precise things. No this could be translated this way sharper than any two-edged surgeon's scalpel.

I will never forget the days being in the operating room and standing there. You know you think you're in some kind of movie and I'm not supposed to touch anything because my hands aren't scrubbed and I don't have gloves on.

But I've got all the other regalia and you're standing there and I don't want to get too close to the table because if I pass out I know I'm going to do a face plant into the operating field. And I also don't want to get too far away because I can't see.

This is amazing stuff going on in there. They get everything all arranged and then all of a sudden what do you think the doctor says male or female. Doctor says to the assistant male or female what's the first thing they usually ask for scalpel.

And you can just see when that scalpel begins to cut that skin for the very first time. I just remember Mike don't forget to breathe. Don't forget to breathe. But you know what. It's not that really precise of a scalpel needed to just open the skin.

When they need precision in scalpels is when they're going to do some kind of very precise surgery where they need to get some kind of micro scalpel. And in effect the word of God is like a micro scalpel that can get in through the calcified recalcitrant heart that we have to get in there and do divine surgery on our heart.

It's not the big sword it's the little one and it's able to pierce. As far as the division of the soul and spirit. I don't believe we have three parts body, soul and spirit. I believe we have two parts fused into one.

But here for language he says this does work that can't even be done really of both joints and marrow. You can even think about that scalpel there and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Who could do that? How can you judge anybody's thoughts or intentions or motives? I just interviewed someone and they said I'd like to be baptized. Are you a Christian? They give me their testimony. How do I know?

How does anybody know? God knows and God's word knows. And look at verse 13 and there is no creature hidden from his sight but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

And so God's word can be used by the spirit of God to bring conviction and get into the heart of the matter. I love this language by the way Hebrews is written to what kind of people? It's a hard question.

And Hebrew people were steeped in what kind of system for the removal of sins. For the taking care of sins. The law but specifically sacrifices. Is there any kind of sacrifice language in here do you think?

If you want to kill a lamb what do you do? Every time it runs by you just take the machete and just give it a whack. Hope you make it. Oops! Caught off the tail. There goes another one and you just run around.

Kind of like that game they have where you grease the pig and try to catch it. How do you kill an animal like that? You go and grab the animal. I don't know how they would do it but I would probably have to put my leg up around the thing to keep it still.

If I was by myself if I couldn't get it in a little pen. I know, don't take this too far but I'm trying to create the picture. You try to hold it down still. And then what do you do? What part of the body are you looking for?

The throat. So what do you do? You take the head and you push it down real far. And you take the shoulder and push it the other way. And there that neck with the jugular vein. What kind of artery do you have up here?

Carotid artery. And it's all exposed and it's open and it's laid bare for the surgeon to come or the butcher depending on which one to do his work. That's the kind of language here that God's word just opens us up.

By the way, do you like conviction? I mean, yes and no. I love to be convicted because I know God's word is real and God cares for me enough not to let me stay where I am. It doesn't feel good. But I like to be convicted when I hear sermons.

I want to hear somebody like today's sermon. I'm describing today's sermon by Jesus as a sledgehammer. And last night Luke was out and I was at the hospital visiting the Binney's and all kinds of other things.

But I wanted to take Luke out into the yard give him a sledgehammer and give him some old HP printer that we had and just say, son here's some goggles and go after this printer with that sledgehammer.

And you know, those things these days the cartridges cost more than the actual printer and the printers are just pieces of junk. You know, there's probably 19 billion printers floating around out there.

I think we asked the question yesterday. What happens to all those printers? Well, what was going to happen to ours. I was going to have Luke take that sledgehammer and just pulverize the thing. And then I would have said you know what these words from Jesus in Matthew 6 -1 they're like a sledgehammer to my heart because they are brutal.

They make me think you know what. I am a hypocrite. I do things to have other people notice. I don't want to. But I do. And I don't want to act like this Pharisee. And they are a sledgehammer. Not just to the pastor.

But I would imagine if you're honest you do these things too. In this particular case the use of a word is not a sledgehammer. It's a sword. Questions so far? When you're speaking and you start to lose people.

You can always bring the operating room illustrations in. And that always revives them for a while. Okay. Number three. The Holy Spirit and God's word work in conjunction. Work concurrently. By the way why should this not surprise us?

Who is the one that breathes out God's word? Who is involved taking men. The apostles as if they were sails in a ship driving with the wind. These sails these men to write exactly what he wanted them to write.

Which person of the Trinity was driving men in the apostolic era to write scripture? The Holy Spirit. So of course it makes perfect sense. It's very logical. The Spirit of God and the word. Bear witness to Christ.

Bring conviction. And number three. Impart knowledge and wisdom. Impart knowledge and wisdom. Let's look up the right hand side this time. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 12 and 13 imparts knowledge and wisdom.

If you turn there with me I'll just read it. It's fine. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 12 and 13. Paul writing as an apostle to the church of Corinth says. Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God.

Make sure when you think of we you don't automatically think of you are the Corinthians and Paul. But Paul being an apostle a writer of God's word. Now we apostles we writers of God's word have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.

Which things we also speak not in words taught by human wisdom but in those taught by the Spirit combining spiritual thoughts and spiritual words. Study 1 Corinthians 2 a little bit. Verse 6. We might as well just jump up there.

Since we are so close the Holy Spirit says of him in a negative way in a sense. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature. A wisdom however not of this age nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.

The wisdom we speak comes from in context the Spirit not the world. Number 4 imparts salvation. If you want somebody to be saved the Spirit of God uses God's word. Let's look at these. These are excellent ones.

John chapter 3 verse 5. Somebody I should probably have read that. So I'm just not the only one reading but I can do that. Number 4 Spirit of God imparts salvation. Jesus answered Amen, Amen. Truly, truly verily, verily.

John 3 verse 5 I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. If we don't save ourselves someone else has to save us. I was just talking to the young man in the uh baptism old baptism interview just a few minutes ago.

Even this kind of language of being born. How many people have ever seen a live birth. Any kind of birth. And you're just in the room. Some nurses have seen a lot. I just saw Nancy look like you know.

Ask me a hard question. How many of you have seen Nancy. Yeah you weren't working in that wing. Were you. And uh I just remember seeing uh my four children being born. But I also remember being in rooms where I would sell coterie equipment.

You can tell I must think you're sleeping because here comes the next you know operating room story. And I just remember C-sections too. And even being born you say well you know what. I can't understand the analogy of being born again as something that happens to you.

Because you know my kids have had C-sections. Even then when you go into the room to see a C-section I've only seen one. When they make the incision. I mean it is Red Sox outfield all around. I mean because that baby's coming out and it's just a little push down.

And what happens to that baby. Literally they have to catch the baby. I mean that baby's flying out of there. But it's not the baby that that forces itself out. Uh the baby's cry doesn't force itself out.

The baby's ingenuity doesn't force itself out. The baby's you know squirming around trying to go feet first. You know that wasn't the baby's decision. I think I'll go feet first today. When you're born it's something that happens.

What? To you even the English language being born is passive. You're not burying yourself. You are being born. It's the same thing with the scriptures. Uh language and emphasis. Salvation happens to you.

You don't force it. You don't come up with your own faith. You don't come up with your own anything. By the way just thinking about the majesty of God in birth. How many millions of years does it take for babies to say.

Well by the way uh I'm drinking amniotic fluid. I'm breathing amniotic fluid. I'm living in amniotic fluid. But when I come out I should probably breathe. How many. I guess maybe billions of years. Then you could get it to happen.

As my kids would say not. Alright the Holy Spirit imparts salvation. Likewise which instrument does God use. The Holy Spirit use to impart salvation. Let's go to Titus chapter 3 verse 5. And we'll find the answer on the right hand column of your handout.

God's Word. They just go together. Birds of a feather flock together. Love and marriage they go together. Right. All these things. Frick and frack. They go together. Ben and Jerry's. They go together.

God's Word and the Spirit of God go together. We just were in Vermont as you're turning there. And I couldn't believe. You know I think when I go to Hawaii years ago macadamia nuts were half price. And I thought you know they're from Hawaii and they're cheaper.

They don't have to be shipped as far. Then I went to Vermont and I thought I could get some cheap Ben and Jerry's it was about $4 .50. A little. What are they? Pints? A little pint. I thought this is supposed to be cheaper not more expensive in Vermont.

So then we went to the Vermont country store where things were even more expensive. Titus chapter 3 verse 5. He saved us. This is every one of your testimonies. If you're a Christian not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration.

There's no water in that verse. And renewing by which member of the Trinity the Holy Spirit. It's the divine cleansing by God. We were dirty. God cleansed us cleaned us. It was not just outside. It was inside as well.

Okay question so far. Yeah, John that's correct. That's right. And so often what do we do? We read the Bible and it says we. We just throw ourselves in there as well with the saints of Corinth. Sometimes Luke will say we because he wants you to know that he's got other apostles physically with him.

In this particular case Paul says we because the context is revelation and inspiration of the scriptures. And here's what we have. Because remember he's counteracting all these crazy Corinthians who have these other false super apostles saying listen to us not them.

And Paul is saying it's not just listen to me versus listen to them. Here's what we have. Here's what we as apostles have. And it's the spirit of wisdom that we have. They just make up their own things.

So that's right. That's by the way one of the very common mistakes in 1st Corinthians chapter 2 to see that we as putting us in there with the epistle versus seeing Paul calling it we as a writer of God's word.

Alright. Well let's do the next one. You know what I probably should have done. I probably should have just given these all blanks. And then you would have had to fill them in as you go. But now you know the end already.

You know where I'm going. You already agree. That's alright. Let's just keep going. Indwells the believer. 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19. Let me show you that both God's word and the Holy Spirit indwell the believer.

1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19. A context that is more of a negative context a warning context. Rather it's probably better than negative. And it says in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19. Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have life from God.

And that you are not your own true or false. Our bodies belong to the Spirit of God. They're not our own right? We've been bought with a price. That's exactly right. Does God's word indwell a Christian?

Let's look at Colossians chapter 3 verse 16. I think the answer is yes. I should have got a white board here to write on. But that's alright. 1st Corinthians excuse me. Colossians chapter 3 verse 16. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you with all wisdom and teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

So according to this God's plan of transformation you want to be changed. The word will show conviction of sin. It'll show Christ Jesus. It'll impart wisdom and knowledge. It'll impart salvation. And the word actually indwells the believer.

Okay so far so good. Any questions? Yes. Okay that's a great question. It's one I'm glad you asked because it's insightful. And I'm sad you asked because I'm not going to have a great answer. So let's just close in prayer.

Okay the question is this. If it is the omnipotent I'll just flesh it out a little bit. If the omnipotent eternal all wise holy spirit dwells in a Christian and that same holy spirit dwells in every Christian.

Why aren't all Christians sanctified equally? That is to say if I have the same spirit you have the same spirit. You have a brand new Christian who has the same spirit. Why aren't we all equal in our spiritual growth?

Answers. Anybody have any answers? I'll give you what I think. But first I'll glean from your answers so I can use it. Yeah Louis. Okay good. Well isn't that true in our own families where children that have the same DNA who live in the same houses who have the exact same parents they go to the exact same schools.

Some are very different from one another. I think what Sixto could be getting at as well is even though I think God is sovereign over sanctification you know me I wouldn't want to ever say something about God not being sovereign.

There are choices that we do make that God is sovereign over. And there is responsibility that we do have. God does not believe for us. Right? God does not. We're not pietist lay back. And what? Let God.

God is sovereign over the entire growth of a Christian and their strengths and their weaknesses. But there are disciplined Christians who show their sanctification and their growth that undisciplined Christians don't show and don't have.

If we go all the way back to the end we could probably say well it's in fact God helping them to be more disciplined. Yes. But I think you'll see the responsibility come broadcasting out of the scriptures.

It is you that needs to obey. Of course by the Spirit's power. It is you that need to be disciplined. It is you that need to examine truth. And so what we don't want to do is say well God's sovereign over all that for whatever reason God chose to have different levels of Christians even those that got saved at the exact same time because that's the way God uses the church.

But additionally to that God the Spirit sovereignly gives gifts to some and not others. And he gives different measures of faith to some and not others. So some could be the leaders and some could be dependent.

So some could be self sufficient. No they would never be self sufficient more sufficient on the help of others. And so why God designed the body that way. I don't know God could have made us believers and instantly glorified and sanctified that moment.

But in his wisdom he has allowed us to stumble and fall and learn and grow. And I think of even Christ Jesus. Why would he have to be born. Why would he have to learn. Why would he have to acquire knowledge.

Some of these things that I believe because they're in the Bible. But there's no way I can figure out how the omniscient God learned. You say well maybe he learned in his humanity. I don't know about some of those arguments.

Frank I think that's an excellent point. And even when we sin because can God take sin and turn it into something good. And then you realize you know what. I'm out there running too far ahead. My father's back here in the woods and he says you know here's what I tell my kids run up as far as you want.

Every kid wants to be up to the very front especially the boys. You know I want to be up there. And it's the race between the dog and the boy who can be farthest out in front in our nature hikes. And I just tell the kids it's the same thing every time you can go as far as you want as long as you can see daddy all of a sudden they disobey and they go out too far.

So then I like to compound the problem. And I like to hide behind a big redwood. And then they're just kind of lollygagging around. And what's the key word in New England if you're walking through the woods.

And you always have to remember this word because it's Henry David Thoreau. And he said when he was walking through the woods he would what you New Englanders don't know this saunter. You saunter if you're Thoreau-ian.

Obviously we're a little farther west. Oh you hear that Thoreau was what you did with the baseball. Lewis said that for the tapes and he said so you know what happens when the kids are all of a sudden going around their merry way.