God the Spirit 930
Series: Knowing God
Speaker: Glenn Davies
Date: 23rd February 2013
Passage: John 16:5-15
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Well, it's a great pleasure to be with you here this morning and to preach in this series.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:09 It's always tricky when you preach at the, I think, the end of the series, I suppose,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:15 and not knowing exactly what's come before, not knowing whether what you're going to say
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 might contradict what's gone before or they might contradict you.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:23 So, but of course, teaching will continue on here week after week anyway after I've gone.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:32 But it's great to hear, to be here and to speak to you about the Holy Spirit and knowing God as Spirit.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 So with that in mind and that task before us, let's pray.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Holy Spirit.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:47 We thank you for your Spirit who inspired these words of the Apostle John so long ago.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:55 And we pray, Father, that your Spirit might do his work in our hearts and minds and lives this morning.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:04 Father, we pray that my words might be your words, that you would bless us through your Word and by your Spirit
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 to the praise and glory of your Son.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 And we ask it in his name. Amen.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:20 John's Gospel is a deep and rich reservoir for understanding God.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:32 An ancient writer in the early church described John's Gospel as a pool in which a child may play and an elephant may wait.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:38 Or in our view, perhaps a deep sea diver might continue to never fathom the depths of John's Gospel.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:46 John's Gospel begins, as you well know, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:50 All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:55 John deliberately evokes Genesis 1.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:05 And in Genesis 1, there's a reference to and the Spirit of God moved over the waters.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:10 And God said, let there be light, and there was light.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:18 And there you see that Trinitarian aspect of God with regard to the creation of the world, the heavens and the earth,
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 by the breath of his mouth, speaking words.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:28 And it's not surprising, therefore, as the Bible moves on through the Old Testament and the New Testament,
00:02:29 --> 00:02:35 that the language of breath, which of course is exactly the same word as spirit, both in Hebrew and in Greek,
00:02:36 --> 00:02:40 the Spirit of God, the empowerment of God, speaks words.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:46 And the Word of God is characteristic of the Son of God, the incarnate Jesus.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:52 So here you get this interconnection of God, his Word and his Spirit.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:59 If I was to quote to you from Psalm 33, verse 6, where the psalmist says,
00:02:59 --> 00:03:06 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:16 So John introduces his gospel with this concept and understanding of God in three persons.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 And yet you may say, well, where is the Spirit in John chapter 1?
00:03:21 --> 00:03:25 In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:29 There you can clearly see the divinity of the Son of God.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:36 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:47 But as you move through John's gospel, you see that it's the Spirit of God that empowers not only his people, but also Jesus himself.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:54 So when you get to chapter 3 of John, you have that extraordinary encounter with Nicodemus.
00:03:54 --> 00:04:07 Nicodemus, a ruler in Jerusalem, comes to Jesus by night, no doubt for fear of being seen by the other Jews and his fellow elders in Jerusalem.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:15 And Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus reveals that he must be born again.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 You must be born of water and the Spirit.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 And here the reference to the Spirit is arresting.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:28 We've already seen the Spirit descend upon Jesus as a dove with regard to in Jesus' baptism.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:36 We've seen the way in which the Spirit has actually empowered, not in John's gospel, empowered him to go into the wilderness for the temptation.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:44 But here Jesus enunciates the important role of the Spirit in being born again.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 And the interesting thing is, that is not new teaching.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:54 It's new language, but not new teaching.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:01 And you can tell that because Jesus says to Nicodemus, are you a teacher in Israel and you don't know this?
00:05:03 --> 00:05:10 You don't know that unless a person is born of water and the Spirit, they can't enter the kingdom of God.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 What does it mean to be born of water and the Spirit?
00:05:15 --> 00:05:20 Well, being born of the Spirit is a reference to the work of the Spirit to change us from within.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 The work of the Spirit to enliven us.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 To bring us from death to life.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:31 And the Bible's testimony with regard to that is as old as Adam.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:38 Adam and Eve were told, if you eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, on that day you shall die.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:47 In God's mercy, Adam and Eve did not die physically that day, but they did die spiritually.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:52 There was a spiritual death that entered the human race.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:59 A spiritual death which was not characteristic of Adam and Eve's relationship with God in the garden of Genesis 1 and 2.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:08 Whereby they could talk with God and walk with God and they do God's work in the garden, till the garden, eat of the fruit.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:14 But that all changed when they rebelled against him.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:18 And a spiritual death took place for Adam and Eve.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:28 By God's mercy, they did not die physically that day, because to have died physically that day in a state of spiritual death would have meant an eternal death.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 There are three aspects to death in the Bible.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 The spiritual, the physical, and the eternal.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:41 If you die physically in a state of spiritual death, then the outcome will be eternal death.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:47 What the Bible chillingly describes as the second death.
00:06:47 --> 00:07:00 But God, in his mercy, protected Adam and Eve from actually eating of the tree of life, which would have perpetuated their state of spiritual death.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:07 And he cast them out of the garden and put before him, put the cherubim there with a flaming sword.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 The cherubim, of course, are not just ordinary old seraphim.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 They're not your ordinary garden common angels.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:18 The cherubim have a special place in scripture as cherubim of glory.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 They're throne attendant angels.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 They guard the throne of God.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 And the Garden of Eden was seen very much symbolically as God's dwelling place.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 The Garden of God, described as such in the Old Testament.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:37 So here are Adam and Eve in this state of spiritual death.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:43 And they, before they can be in relationship with God, must be born again.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:57 The language of being spiritually born, coming to life in God, is evident by the way in which Eve, in chapter 4, speaks of getting a child with the help of the Lord.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 There is a woman of faith.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 There is her expression of faith.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:09 And so we see the godly line which would have begun with Abel, had he not been killed by his brother Cain.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:15 And there you get the battle between the spiritually alive and the spiritually dead.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:30 And that battle of the seeds between those who are of God and those who are not of God, seen actually from that first human family of Cain and Abel, is demonstrated in the death of Abel and the judgment that falls upon Cain.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:36 The line of faith continues through Seth and through generations.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:46 But throughout the Old Testament, there is the reality that you can be part of the family of Abraham, but not be alive to God.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:56 You can have all the aspects of being part of God's people, but not be alive to God.
00:08:56 --> 00:09:00 And the difference is the work of the Holy Spirit.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 Theologians have described that as regeneration.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:11 For obvious reasons, regeneration is new birth, regenerating, bringing a person to life.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 So when Paul writes to the Ephesians, he says,
00:09:15 --> 00:09:21 You who were dead and trespassers in your sins, you he made alive.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:26 And raised you to be with Christ and seated you in the heavenly places.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:30 That's all a work of the Holy Spirit.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:37 The Holy Spirit actually enables us to see things as they truly are.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 Enables us to see reality.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 Enables us to hear God's word.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 Enables us to come to life spiritually.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 That's a work of the Spirit of God.
00:09:48 --> 00:10:18 Enables us to hear God's word.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 Forward and appeal at a crusade, for example.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 May have been taught by your parents.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 Became a Christian in scripture at schools.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 Or in Sunday school.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 Or some other venue.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 Or a neighbour or a friend.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 Or just by reading your Bible.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 But what's actually happened is,
00:10:36 --> 00:10:41 God has brought you from death to life.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 He's actually enabled you to see the truth.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 Whether it's from the words on the page of the Bible.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 The testimony of a friend or teacher or parent.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:50 Or pastor.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 What God has done has brought you to life.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 You see,
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 we're all humans are dead in trespassers and sins.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:05 Unless God brings us to life,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 there is no hope.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 We can't bring ourselves to life.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 We can't believe or by ourselves.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 If you can think of,
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 if a dead person,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 if after a ship has sunk and there's a life raft
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 and there are dead people floating in the sea,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 it doesn't matter how many life boys you throw them,
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 they can't hold on to it.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 Because they're dead.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 They need to be made alive
00:11:31 --> 00:11:35 before they can actually hold on to that life raft.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 In John's Gospel,
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 you get the beautiful story of Lazarus.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 And there, you recall,
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 when Lazarus was dead in the tomb,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 Jesus speaks and says,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 Lazarus, come forth.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 Now, if anyone else had spoken like that,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 nothing would have happened, would it?
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 Lazarus would remain dead in the tomb.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 In fact, you can imagine,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 you wonder what on earth the people thought
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 as they were gathering around that tomb.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 What was Jesus doing?
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 Lazarus, come forth.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 Jesus didn't go into the tomb
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 to pick up Lazarus and bring him out.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 Notice that?
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 What Jesus did was he spoke
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 life-giving words.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 The very words he uttered
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 brought life into Lazarus.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 And when Lazarus was brought
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 from death to life,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 he hears in that instance,
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 Lazarus, come forth.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 And he gets up and walks out.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 He responds to the invitation of Jesus.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 He responds because he's been made alive.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 You can't imagine him, can you,
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 waking up in that tomb and saying,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 oh, Jesus is calling me,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 but it's not too bad here.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 I've been here four days.
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 I can stay a bit longer.
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 It's a bit damp, it's smelly,
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 but I think it's all right, a bit dark.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 No.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 Once he knows the condition of death
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 that he's in,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 it's irresistible for him to come forth.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 It's the spirit of God
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 that brings him to life
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 and enables him to walk out.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 Actually, he didn't walk out.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 He hopped out
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 because it's all bound up with linen,
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 but that's not the story.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 What's interesting here is
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 Jesus is the focus.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 There's no reference to the spirit
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 in that episode
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 of the raising of Lazarus
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 because the spirit
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 never works for his own glory.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:47 The spirit always works
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 for Jesus' glory.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 Have you noticed that?
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 That's why it's almost subtle,
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 the way in which the spirit
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 is referenced in the Old Testament.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 The spirit is always there
00:13:58 --> 00:14:02 empowering, as it were,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 the saints of old,
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 the prophets.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 The prophets speak by the spirit of God.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 The apostles speak by the spirit of God.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 The spirit of God is actually there,
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 but he's always bringing glory to the Son.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 And you'll find that there
00:14:16 --> 00:14:21 in chapter 16 of John's Gospel,
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 which we're looking at,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:26 where the spirit takes what is mine
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 and declares it to you.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 And he glorifies me.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 It's a bit like if you think of,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 if you look at the Harbour Bridge at night,
00:14:34 --> 00:14:39 and you'll see it's lit up by floodlights.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 If you look carefully,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 all you can see is the bridge.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 You don't actually see the floodlights.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 The floodlights' purpose
00:14:52 --> 00:14:55 is to light up the bridge.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 That's how the spirit works.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 The spirit's purpose
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 is always to glorify Jesus
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 so that the attention
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 is upon Jesus,
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 not upon himself.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 Whenever you hear
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 of Christian conversations
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 talking about the importance
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 of the spirit
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 and they're glorying in the spirit
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 or they're glorying in the fact
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 that they've got manifestations
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 of the spirit,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 it's always a slight danger
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24 if they're not glorifying Jesus.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 For to have the spirit of God
00:15:26 --> 00:15:30 means you'll be glorifying Jesus
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 because that's the spirit's
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 chief task.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 Now let me come to parts
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 of this chapter in John 16.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 Do the second part too
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 from verse 12
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 if you've got your Bibles open.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 I have many things to say to you
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 but you cannot bear them now.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 When the spirit of truth comes,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 he will guide you into all truth
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 for he will not speak
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 on his own authority
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 but whatever he hears,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 he will speak
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 and he will declare to you
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 the things that are to come.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 He will glorify me
00:16:01 --> 00:16:05 for he will take what is mine
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 and declare it to you.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 Although the father has his mind
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 therefore I said that
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 he will take what is mine
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 and declare it to you.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 Now he's talking to the apostles here
00:16:15 --> 00:16:18 and I want you to realise
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 that he's actually talking about
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 the coming of the spirit
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 which is a bit strange
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 because I've just been saying to you
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 the spirit's already there.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 The spirit's already been active
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 in the lives of the Old Testament saints.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 No person could have believed in God
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 without the spirit of God
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 making them alive,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 regenerating them.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 So what is Jesus saying here
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 about the coming of the spirit?
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 What does he mean
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 in terms of the spirit coming?
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 Well hasn't the spirit
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 already been there?
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 Haven't they already been
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 baptised into Jesus?
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 Haven't they already been born again
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 in terms of John 3
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 which comes several chapters
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 before John 16?
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 Aren't they already clean
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 by the word that Jesus
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 has spoken to them?
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 True.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 But what Jesus is saying is
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 the spirit of God
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 is now going to come
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 in a
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 quantitatively
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 different manner.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 In a new manner.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 And the language of the baptism
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 of the Holy Spirit
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 which you find
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 in the book of Acts
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 describes this
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 coming of the spirit of God
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 with power.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 And what the
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 main difference
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 between the Old Testament
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 activity of the spirit
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 and the New Testament
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 activity of the spirit
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 is
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 the same spirit of Christ
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 which is in the Old Testament
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 prophets
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 we read of that
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 in 1 Peter chapter 1
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 that is the
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 unascended
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 spirit of Christ.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 The spirit of Christ's
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 activity in the New Covenant
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 for us as Christians
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 is the spirit
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 of the
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 ascended Christ.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 That's why Jesus says
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 I'm going to send
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 another counsellor to you
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 notice that
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 another
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 counsellor to you
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 but he cannot come
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 unless I leave you.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 He cannot come
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 until I
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 go to the Father.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 And what Jesus
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 here is saying
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 is that there's going to be
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 a
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 qualitative
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 difference between
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 the Old Covenant Christians
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 and the New Covenant Christians
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 and it all
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 focuses upon
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 Jesus
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 and his death.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 Because after
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 his death and resurrection
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 Jesus ascends
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 to the Father
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 and from there
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 he sends
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 the Holy Spirit.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 He sends
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 the spirit of truth.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 He sends
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 the spirit of power.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 He sends
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 the other
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 counsellor.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 He does that
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 and in our church year
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 as you know
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 we have
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 Good Friday
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 Easter Day
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 and then
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 Ascension
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 and then
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 Pentecost
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 or Whitsunday
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 in the old form.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 So that
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 movement
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 is that
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 Jesus sins
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 and why does he do that
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 from heaven?
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 Why couldn't God
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 have done that beforehand?
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 Because without
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 the death
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 and resurrection
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 of Jesus
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 we're still
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 dead in our sins.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 the promise
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 of deliverance
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 is there
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 and now
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 the reality
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 of deliverance
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 is there.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 So the
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 ascended Christ
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 sends the spirit
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 of Christ
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 in order that
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 we as Christians
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 can appropriate
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 salvation
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 won,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 salvation
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 accomplished.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 The Old Testament
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 were always looking
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 forward
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 to the future.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 Always looking
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 forward to the future
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 of God's deliverance.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 they walked
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 by faith.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 Things into which
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 angels
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 longed to look
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 was a salvation
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 that God was going
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 to bring about
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 through the Lord Jesus.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 But we
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 have seen that.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 Abraham
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 rejoiced
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 in Jesus'
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 day.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 He saw it
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 and was glad.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 He didn't fully
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 comprehend
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 all that God had
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 but he knew
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 that God
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 had a plan
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 and that God
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 would execute
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 that plan.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 Abraham
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 walked by faith.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 But we
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 walk on the
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 other side
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 of the cross
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 and the spirit
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 of the
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 accomplishment
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 of redemption,
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 the spirit
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 of the ascended
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 Christ
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 has now come.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 And what's
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 the spirit
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 going to do
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 among the
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 apostles?
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 With the
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 apostles
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 he's going
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 to be
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 another
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 counsellor.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 But don't
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 go away,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 the counsellor
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 will not
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 come to you.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 But if I
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 do go,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 I will
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 send him
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 to you.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 Jesus
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 was the
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 first counsellor
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 if you like.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 And when
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 the spirit
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 comes,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 it's another
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 counsellor
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 but in actual
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 fact Jesus
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 says it's
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 him.
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 It's the
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 spirit of
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 Christ.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 So to have
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 the spirit
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 in us as
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 Christians
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 is to have
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 Christ in
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 us.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 You can't
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 separate their
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 activity.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 Although they
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 are two
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 persons in
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 the Godhead,
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 it's the
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 spirit of
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 Christ who
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 comes to
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 us.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 It's not an
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 alien spirit.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 It's the
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 spirit of
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 the resurrected
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 Christ.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 It's the
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 one who
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 brings to
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 us the
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 assurance of
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 our salvation,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 the assurance
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 of our
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 forgiveness of
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 sins,
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 the assurance
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 of we are
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 heirs of
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 heaven and
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 the hope
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 of eternal
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 life,
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 the assurance
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 of victory
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 won.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 That's the
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 spirit's task
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 in us.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 He comes
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 as counsellor.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 He comes
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 to defend us
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 from the
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 accusations of
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 the evil
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 one.
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 He comes
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 to support
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 us and
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 strengthen us
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 in our
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 daily life.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 He is
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 there because
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 he brings
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 to us
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 all the
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 benefits of
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 Jesus.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 And that's
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 why the
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 Holy Spirit
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 is described
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 as the
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 spirit of
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 Christ.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 But the
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 spirit comes,
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 he guides
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 the apostles
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 into all
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 truth.
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 And he
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 doesn't speak
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 in his own
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 authority,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 but whatever
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 he learns
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 from me,
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 he will
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 declare.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 the spirit
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 is dependent
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 in that
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 sense upon
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 Jesus as
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 Jesus is
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 dependent upon
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 the father.
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 As you've
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 looked at the
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 trinity over
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 these last
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 three weeks,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 you'll have
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 seen that there
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 is an ordered
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 relationship in
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 the trinity.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 For example,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 it's not the
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 twin brothers
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 and the
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 Holy Spirit.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 It's the
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 father,
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 the son,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 and the
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 Holy Spirit.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 It's
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 interesting,
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 isn't it?
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 It's not
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 the triplets,
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 three brothers
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 as it were.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 No,
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 it's father,
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 son,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 and Holy
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 Spirit.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 There's an
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 ordered
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 relationships.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 That's why
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 in the
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 creed,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 as we
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 said,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 the Holy
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 Spirit
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 proceeds
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 from the
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 father and
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 the son.
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 The
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 spirit,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 just as
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 the son
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 desires to
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 do the
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 father's
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 bidding,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 so the
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 spirit
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 longs to
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 glorify the
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 son,
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 and in
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 glorifying the
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 son,
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 he glorifies
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 the father.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 Jesus
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 speaks about
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 the way,
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 if you
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 know me,
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 you've seen
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 the father.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 All that
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 the father
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 has is
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 mine.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 There is
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 an equal
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 authority
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 among the
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 three of
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 them,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 but there's
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 an ordered
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 relationship in
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 that devolving
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 of authority
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 to us.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 So for
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 us,
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 the spirit
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 of God
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 comes and
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 dwells in
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 us.
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 To have
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 the spirit
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 of God
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 is to
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 have the
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 son,
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 to have
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 the son
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 is to
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 have the
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 father.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:33 So we
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 have God
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 in us,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 the hope
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 of glory.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 And the
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 spirit teaches
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 the apostles,
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 and here this
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 is particular,
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 we sometimes
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 take these
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 verses as
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 being generic
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 to all of
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 us,
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 the spirit
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 guides us
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 into all
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 truth,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 and there's
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 a sense
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 in which
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 that is
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 true.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 But the
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 apostles had
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 a particular
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 focus in
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 terms of
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 delivering
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 revelation,
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 revelation.
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 So that
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 again,
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 you'll
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 notice that
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 we believe
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 in the
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 church which
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 is Catholic
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 and apostolic.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 What does it
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 mean to be an
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 apostolic church?
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 Well,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 an apostolic
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 church is a
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 church which
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 was founded
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 upon the
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 apostles.
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 In
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 Ephesians 2.20,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 Paul says,
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 the church of
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 God is founded
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 upon the
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 apostles and
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 prophets,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 with Christ
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 Jesus being
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 the cornerstone.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 Here is the
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 foundation of
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 the church,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 apostolic and
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 prophetic.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 prophetic.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 That's your
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 New Testament,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 you see.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 Along with the
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 Old Testament
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 prophets,
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 the New Testament
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 apostles and
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 prophets bring
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 to us the
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 revelation of
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 God, the
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 word of God
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 in written
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 form, the
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 covenant document
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 that God has
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 given us to
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 show us how
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 to live our
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 lives, to
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 enable us to
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 live in a way
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 which pleases
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 him.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 Now that
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 apostolic word
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 is brought
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 about by the
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 spirit of God
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 bringing to
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 remembrance all
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 that Jesus
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 has said.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 I mean,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 Gen X and
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 Gen Y can't
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 imagine how
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 the apostles
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 could have
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 worked without
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 an iPad and
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 to remember
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 everything that
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 Jesus had
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 said.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 But it's the
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 spirit of God
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 who's actually
00:25:04 --> 00:25:06 enabled them to
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 remember those
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 things so they
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 can deliver them
00:25:09 --> 00:25:11 to us.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 To us.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 If you
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 remember in
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 Jesus,
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 sometimes called
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 the high
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 priestly prayer
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 of John 17,
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 he prays for
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 himself firstly.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 He prays for
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 the apostles
00:25:26 --> 00:25:29 and then he
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 prays for
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 you.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 In the third
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 section, you'll
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 notice it
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 begins,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 Father, I
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 don't pray for
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 these only,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 the apostles,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 who have a
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 special place
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 in the divine
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 economy, but I
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 pray for everyone
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 who believes in
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 me through
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 their word.
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 That's you.
00:25:48 --> 00:25:51 did you realise
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 that Jesus
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 prayed for
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 you?
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 He had you
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 in mind
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 when he spoke
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 those words.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 He had your
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 name in his
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 heart and mind
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 before the
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 foundation of the
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 world.
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 Your name's
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 engrafted in the
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 palms of his
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 hand, for he
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 loved you from
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 eternity.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 him.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 And when
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 God the
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 Father sent
00:26:17 --> 00:26:19 Jesus to
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 live the life
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 we could not
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 live and to
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 die the death
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 that we
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 deserve, he
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 did not leave
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 us alone, but
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 sent his Holy
00:26:27 --> 00:26:29 Spirit to
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 empower us, to
00:26:30 --> 00:26:32 enable us, to
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 live for him.
00:26:33 --> 00:26:36 the wonderful
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 aspect of the
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 Holy Spirit, as
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 I said to you
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 before, is that
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 he never glorifies
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 himself.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 His chief end
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 is to glorify
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 Jesus.
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 One of the, not
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 only the benefits,
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 but one of the
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 evidences of having
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 the Spirit of God
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 is where is
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 Jesus in your
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55 consciousness, in
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 your purpose, in
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 your life?
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 Is Jesus the one
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 whom you want to
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 glorify?
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 Is he the one
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 whose name you
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 want to lift high?
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 Is he the one
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 that's going to
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 challenge you by
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 his Spirit to
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 eschew sin?
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 To defeat
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 temptation?
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 To love one
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 another as Christ
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 has loved us?
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 To have the
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 fruit of the
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 Spirit, and you
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 can see this
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 sermon could go
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 on and on, the
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 fruit of the
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 Spirit with all
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 its beauty and
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 glory of love,
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 peace, patience,
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 faithfulness,
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 self-control, all
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 those aspects of
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 the fruit of a
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 relationship with
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 God that God
00:27:33 --> 00:27:35 brings about by
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 indwelling us.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 Later in the
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 Apostle Paul's
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 teaching, he
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 talks about our
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 bodies as being
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 temples of the
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 Holy Spirit.
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 So the Spirit of
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 God takes up
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 temple residence in
00:27:48 --> 00:27:51 us to sanctify us
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 so that everything
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 might be holy.
00:27:54 --> 00:27:56 because God is
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 doing a work in us
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 to change us from
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 one degree of
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 glory to another
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 so we might be
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 perfected that last
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 day and then we
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 shall be given at
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 the last day
00:28:05 --> 00:28:07 spiritual bodies.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 Notice that?
00:28:08 --> 00:28:10 Bodies empowered by
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 the Spirit.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 A spiritual body
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 isn't like Casper the
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 Ghost whispering
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 around.
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 A spiritual body is
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 a bit like a steam
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 engine.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 A steam engine isn't
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 composed of steam.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 It's powered by
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 steam.
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 A spiritual body is
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 empowered by the
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 Spirit of God.
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 And in that
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 resurrection state,
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 there we shall be in
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 such harmony with
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 Father, Son and Holy
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 Spirit.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 For our spiritual bodies
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 will be in a state of
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 such perfection.
00:28:38 --> 00:28:40 that death shall be
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 no more.
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 Temptation shall be
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 banished.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 Disease and decay
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 will have gone.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 And we shall enjoy
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 the inheritance of the
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 saints in light
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 with God forever,
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 Father, Son and Holy
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 Spirit.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 And there we shall
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 know in all our
00:28:56 --> 00:28:58 fullness what it
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 means to know God
00:28:59 --> 00:29:02 as Father, Son and
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 Holy Spirit.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:06 But above all, to
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 rejoice that God
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 knows us
00:29:10 --> 00:29:13 and has given to
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 us the bounty of
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 his grace, the
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 glory of his
00:29:17 --> 00:29:19 inheritance, the
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 forgiveness of sins
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 and the elevation and
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 adoption of sons and
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 daughters of the
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 Most High, which
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 he's done in the
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 Lord Jesus to whom
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 all be glory.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 But through his
00:29:32 --> 00:29:34 Holy Spirit in our
00:29:34 --> 00:29:36 lives, applying all
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 that Jesus has won
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 for us, but
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 ensuring the glory
00:29:40 --> 00:29:43 goes to him and
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 to him alone.
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 Let's pray.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 Heavenly Father, we
00:29:48 --> 00:29:51 stand in awe at
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 the wonder of your
00:29:52 --> 00:29:54 grace, at the
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 beauty of your
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 three persons,
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 Father, Son and
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 Holy Spirit.
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 And as we've
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 reflected upon the
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 work of your Holy
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 Spirit, we just
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05 rejoice that he
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 dwells in us,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:08 changing us more
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 and more into the
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 likeness of Jesus.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 Father, we pray
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 that you would so
00:30:13 --> 00:30:15 enable us to
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 glorify you and
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 your Son by your
00:30:18 --> 00:30:20 Holy Spirit, that
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 we might live lives
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 that please you and
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 by your mercies
00:30:24 --> 00:30:26 would be a witness
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 to the world that
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 they too might put
00:30:28 --> 00:30:30 their faith in you.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 Amen.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 Amen.