In the Holy Spirit.
Series: WE BELIEVE
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 21st March 2020
Passages:
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 There are many consequences, as you're fully aware, that flow out of this pandemic.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:12 Normal patterns of behaviour are operating, changing dramatically for us as a church,
00:00:12 --> 00:00:13 but in broader society.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:20 One of the consequences is that we were meant to have our regional bishop, Chris Edwards,
00:00:20 --> 00:00:24 here with us this morning, preaching at a confirmation service.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:32 A confirmation service is where we welcome individuals into the membership of the worldwide Anglican Church,
00:00:32 --> 00:00:38 and we pray for God to empower and strengthen them by his Holy Spirit.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:45 And so part of that service requires the bishop to lay hands on each of the individual candidates
00:00:45 --> 00:00:52 and say, strengthen Lord your servant with your Holy Spirit, enable and sustain them for your service.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:56 And given that we're not all meeting in the building today,
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 and it's really hard to lay hands on someone digitally,
00:00:59 --> 00:01:04 then we've had to cancel or postpone our confirmation service to a little bit later.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:09 The consequence of that decision is that I have given the bishop a free pass,
00:01:09 --> 00:01:13 and I'm now up and preaching instead, which I'm very pleased to do.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:19 So if you've just logged into St. Paul's for the first time,
00:01:19 --> 00:01:25 we have been over the course of months now working our way through an ancient statement called the Apostles' Creed.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:35 This short statement captures the way that Christians view the world and life and eternal life and the future in Jesus.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 And today I'm picking up the next part of that,
00:01:38 --> 00:01:43 and that is the statement that I believe, that we believe in the Holy Spirit.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:45 So you can follow along.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 If you've got the St. Paul's app, if you haven't, get onto the App Store, download it.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 The St. Paul's app, and we've got outlines for this message and a bunch of other ways to communicate with you,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 so I'd encourage you to do that now.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:01 We're picking up that point, and I've got two points, really two broad ideas.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 Firstly, I want to ask the question, who is the Holy Spirit?
00:02:04 --> 00:02:08 And secondly, what does it mean for us to live with the Holy Spirit?
00:02:09 --> 00:02:10 So firstly, who is the Holy Spirit?
00:02:10 --> 00:02:20 There are many things in the Bible's teaching on God which are difficult for us to understand,
00:02:20 --> 00:02:24 a bit beyond our brain capacity to deal with.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:28 It shouldn't surprise us on one level, since God is eternal and infinite,
00:02:29 --> 00:02:34 then he is so much bigger and grander than anyone could possibly imagine.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:42 But one of the challenging ideas is what James preached on a number of weeks ago now,
00:02:42 --> 00:02:47 and that is the biblical truth of the Trinity, the triunity of God.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:55 The Trinity calls us to believe that there is one and only one God,
00:02:56 --> 00:03:00 but who dwells in three persons, who exists in three persons.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:04 I'm going to go over the whole thing of the Trinity, but to give you a little bit of a summary,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:09 it really is an unfathomable doctrine of the Christian church.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:17 No Christian can, in the end, exhaust the meaning of what it is for God to be three in one.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:22 And yet, at the same time, no Christian can, in fact, deny its meaning.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:30 To know the one true God is to know him as Father, to know him as Son, and to know him as the Holy Spirit.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:37 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each one of them is fully and completely God.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 Always and forever.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:49 And yet, as difficult it is to comprehend that, it is also a beautiful doctrine.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 The Trinity, if you like, functions like an orchestra.
00:03:54 --> 00:04:00 A multitude of different instruments are coming together at the right time in rich harmony.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:07 The diversity is more beautiful of a sound than if the whole orchestra was just made up with a bunch of cymbals.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:14 Each person of the Trinity does his own distinctive work.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 Each contributes their own part.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:23 And together, they produce what is best and perfectly wise and most beautiful.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:35 They work in harmony with each other as each person fulfills that part of the work, the overall work that is right and good for them to do so.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:47 And yet, all three persons are committed to the one work of God and to contribute to the one work of God.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:56 The Father stands on top of all the work as the one who designs and plans what the work will be.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:06 As a result, the Father is the one who is most highly praised in the end, as you can see in, for instance, Philippians chapter 2.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:11 The Son, for His part, is completely committed to doing the will of the Father.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:16 The Son has always and will always live under the authority of the Father.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:32 And so the Creed, up to this point, where we now declare that we also believe in the Holy Spirit, declares the glorious work of a triune God.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:40 It also reveals a deep mystery of God while reminding us of our dependency upon the Holy Spirit.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:45 So let's talk about the Holy Spirit.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:54 Many Christians fall short on their understanding of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity.
00:05:55 --> 00:06:06 The Holy Spirit is either faded into the background as unimportant or, in some cases, brought right to the forefront as being supremely important, the most important.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 Both ends of the spectrum are deficient.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:19 As we pick up the phrase today, we believe in the Holy Spirit, there are two truths that we need to understand about who the Holy Spirit is.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 First of all, the Holy Spirit is a person.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:31 The Holy Spirit is not a force or like wind or electricity or something out of Star Wars.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:35 First, the second truth is that the Holy Spirit is divine.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 So firstly, a person.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:42 For instance, John 14, which was just read out to us, John 14, verse 16.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 Jesus calls him another advocate.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:55 And I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:07 So when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as another advocate or comforter, he treats the Holy Spirit as a person, not a force.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:13 When he calls him another advocate, he means in the same way that I am an advocate.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 The Holy Spirit is an advocate like Jesus is.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 He is a person.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:26 We also know the Holy Spirit is a person because he shows the qualities of a true and genuine person.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 He shows the qualities of personhood.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:32 For example, the Holy Spirit can be lied to, according to Acts chapter 5.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 And insulted, according to Hebrews 10.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:41 Those are two things that you can't do to your refrigerator or the electricity that's running your refrigerator.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 You can't lie to it and you can't insult it.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:48 But the Holy Spirit is a person, not a force or a power.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:53 The Holy Spirit has also got personal qualities like a mind, according to 1 Corinthians 2.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 Emotions, according to Ephesians 4.
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 And a will, according to 1 Corinthians 12.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:11 But possibly the most important aspect of the personhood of the Holy Spirit is that 94 times in the New Testament,
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 he is called holy.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:24 He has the character of holiness, which along with having a mind, emotions and a will, is true only of a person.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:30 Now the second essential truth that we need to have clear is that the Holy Spirit is not just a person,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 but he's also a divine person.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 That is, the Holy Spirit is God.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 Fully God.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 For example, Acts chapter 5.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 You might know the scene.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:45 Peter rebukes Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit about the land that he had sold.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 And then Peter says this to Ananias,
00:08:48 --> 00:08:52 You have not lied to men, but to God.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:58 And so when Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, he was lying to God.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:04 We also note that the Holy Spirit has certain qualities that are only true of God,
00:09:04 --> 00:09:08 such as living forever and eternally, according to Hebrews 9,
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 as being everywhere, Psalm 139,
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 and having all knowledge, 1 Corinthians 2.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:24 He's also declared to be equal with the Father and the Son in Matthew 28 and in 2 Corinthians 13.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:33 And so the Holy Spirit is both a person, personable, and also divine God.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:41 So when you combine that second truth with that first truth about the Holy Spirit,
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 all of a sudden he becomes somewhat more precious.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 It makes a great deal of difference in your life.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:57 If you believe that you are being led, purified, changed,
00:09:58 --> 00:10:06 by a person who is, in essence, the personal God of sacrificial love,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 and not by some impersonal force.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 The person who leads and purifies and transforms
00:10:14 --> 00:10:19 is no one less than God the Holy Spirit.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:24 This is a personal relationship of God of love.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 It's not a force.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 So what does that mean for us?
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 What does it mean for us, therefore, to be living with the Holy Spirit?
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 Now there's something else that's really important for us
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 to see about the Holy Spirit.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 And this is really helpful in our context that we're in right now.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:47 Those passages that were just read out to us come in the context of John 14 to 17,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 which is known as the farewell discourse.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 This is Jesus talking about his departure.
00:10:55 --> 00:11:00 He's about to leave his disciples and go back to his father via the cross.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 He's talking about he's going to die and he's going to leave them.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 And so the disciples are distraught.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 They are confused.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 They're bewildered.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 They have put their hope in him.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 And so what's happening to their lives is falling apart right now.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 It is uncertain times.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 Their whole worldview is shifting here.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:28 And in these chapters, right before Jesus is about to go to the cross and suffer,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 he's comforting his disciples rather than them comforting him.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:41 He tells them that he's going away to prepare an eternal place for them in the father's house.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 But he's still leaving.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 He's still leaving.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:50 It's great that there's going to be a bunch of rooms ready for them.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:58 It's great that they've got a home to go to forever with God and with others where there'll be no self-isolation whatsoever.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 And it's a great hope for them.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:05 But the disciples are like, what about now?
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 What happens now?
00:12:07 --> 00:12:18 And then in chapter 14, verse 16, Jesus makes this promise.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:24 I will ask the father and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 The spirit of truth.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:36 Jesus says to his grieving disciples, I am going to the father and he will send another advocate.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:42 Another, meaning another of the same kind.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:46 According to verse 16, he's going to be with them forever.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 He will not depart as Jesus must depart.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:59 Now that is what these disciples need in their moment of abandonment.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 But is it?
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 I mean, is it really a word of comfort?
00:13:10 --> 00:13:19 Not that I actually can at this moment, but imagine if my wife Natalie and I were to go on a long trip right now.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 And where we didn't know, it was a one-way ticket.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 We didn't know when we were coming back.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:37 How do you think our children would respond if we said to them, it's okay, girls, not a problem at all.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 We're actually going to send another relative who you've never met.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:46 They're going to come and hang out with you and look after you until we get back, which we don't know when that'll be.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:53 I'm not sure that's an entire comfort for them in that moment.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:57 Hardly a comfort when you're feeling abandoned.
00:13:57 --> 00:14:07 But I think verse 23 reveals the staggering implications of what Jesus just said in verse 16.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:29 Notice the word home there in verse 23.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 It's a rare word in the New Testament.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:42 In fact, it's only used in one other place in the New Testament, and that is in chapter 14, verse 2, just a bunch of verses before, where it is translated rooms.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:46 In verse 2, Jesus says,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:54 I'm going to the cross, and when I go to the cross, I'm preparing an eternal home for you to dwell with God forever.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 A dwelling place with the Father.
00:14:57 --> 00:15:17 But in verse 23, Jesus says that by going to the cross, he is also going to prepare in us a home, a dwelling place, a room for God.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:25 The departure of Jesus to his Father by the cross is going to prepare two things.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:32 A room for us with the Father, with God the Son in heaven forever.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:40 And a room for the Father and Jesus with us here on earth now in the meantime.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 What a promise.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:50 Not just a place with God at some point in the future, but a place for God with us right now.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:55 The coming of the Spirit doesn't replace the presence of Jesus.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 It guarantees.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:05 He guarantees the presence of Jesus with us right now, forever.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:10 The Holy Spirit unites us with Christ and the Father.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:17 Jesus, in this season, right here, and in every other season, through all the ups and the downs, is not distant.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 He's not abandoned his disciples.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:31 If you're a Christian, there is no real social isolation.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:38 I think Jesus is actually saying to his bewildered disciples,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 it will be better for you when I depart.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:48 My presence amongst you will, in fact, be stronger.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:56 It won't be as good as it will be forever when everything's perfect in heaven and there's joy forever.
00:16:56 --> 00:17:01 But through the Spirit, he's saying to his first disciples,
00:17:01 --> 00:17:07 when the Spirit comes, it will be better for you than it's even been for the last three years
00:17:07 --> 00:17:12 when we've stood side by side and eaten together and walked together and talked together.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:21 So, friends, how do we get this experience of the presence of the Holy Spirit right now?
00:17:21 --> 00:17:26 Especially for you, maybe, in this season where you're not feeling like it's there.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:33 In John chapter 16, verse 13, we get a key part of the Holy Spirit's work.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 It says this,
00:17:34 --> 00:18:03 So, in chapter 14, Jesus promises the Spirit of truth will remind the disciples of everything that Jesus has taught them.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:07 And now he promises a little bit more.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:17 The 11 disciples will be led into a true understanding of the saving events
00:18:17 --> 00:18:21 which are about to take place with the death and the resurrection of Jesus.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:25 And they, through that, will get glimpses of the future that is to come.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:35 The final climax of world history will partly, at least partly, be unveiled to them
00:18:35 --> 00:18:42 so that they will be able to get a glimpse of the sweep of God's enormous plan of salvation
00:18:42 --> 00:18:48 and the central part that Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, played in that.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:56 But in leading them into truth, the Holy Spirit will not speak on his own.
00:18:56 --> 00:19:00 Jesus insists he will speak only what he hears.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:03 John 16, again, if you've got your Bibles in front of you.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 Verse 13,
00:19:04 --> 00:19:09 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 He will not speak on his own.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 He will speak only what he hears.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:16 He will tell you what is yet to come.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:27 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 All that belongs to the Father is mine.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:37 That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:45 So what Jesus is saying there in John 16 is that the subject matter of the Holy Spirit is restricted.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:51 And it is a glorious restriction.
00:19:53 --> 00:20:02 The Spirit will take that which is Jesus's and make it known to Jesus' disciples.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:07 And the focus here is entirely on Jesus.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:12 The role of the Holy Spirit is to bring glory to Jesus.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:17 It was necessary for Jesus to be glorified by returning to the Father via the cross.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:25 But when he leaves, he receives more glory through the work and the ministry of the Spirit to his disciples.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:33 As Jesus took that which belonged to the Father and made it known to the disciples,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:40 so the Spirit takes that which belongs to Jesus and makes it known to us.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:51 Nothing brings more glory to the Lord Jesus than for his followers to become steeped,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:57 steeped in the truth concerning Jesus Christ.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:05 Of course, the acquisition of this truth is not an intellectual exercise,
00:21:05 --> 00:21:09 even though it is intellectual in its nature.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 It's not merely intellectual.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:16 As this truth is truly absorbed by the followers of the Lord Jesus,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:20 it transforms us by the work of the Spirit.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 It makes it powerful.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 It enables us to reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus
00:21:24 --> 00:21:27 and therefore bring glory and praise to his name.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:31 Glory comes to Jesus Christ
00:21:31 --> 00:21:35 when the truths of the gospel and the word of God
00:21:35 --> 00:21:39 are established in our lives by the work of the Holy Spirit.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 And now, so up to this point,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 the disciples have been confused,
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 quite confused,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:49 characterized by misunderstanding about the person of Jesus,
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 who he is.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:54 And all of this is going to change
00:21:54 --> 00:21:57 when the Holy Spirit comes.
00:21:57 --> 00:22:00 The Spirit would ensure
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 that these original disciples of Jesus
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 are not going to forget about Jesus.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:08 He would ensure that they accurately remember
00:22:08 --> 00:22:11 the life and the commandments and the teaching of Jesus.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 How then does that happen?
00:22:18 --> 00:22:23 I think the one main answer comes from Ephesians 5, verse 18,
00:22:23 --> 00:22:26 where Paul teaches the believers
00:22:26 --> 00:22:29 to be filled with the Spirit
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 so that their thoughts,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 their attitudes,
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 their words,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 their actions
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 would be directed by the Spirit.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 And Paul wrote a similar thing
00:22:38 --> 00:22:41 in Colossians 3, verses 16 and 17,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 where he says,
00:22:42 --> 00:22:45 let the word of God dwell
00:22:45 --> 00:22:48 in you richly.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 Teaching and admonishing
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 one another in all wisdom,
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 sing psalms and hymns
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 and spiritual songs
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 with thankfulness in your heart to God.
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 And whatever you do,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 whether word or deed,
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 giving thanks to God the Father through him.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 In both of those passages,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 the results are the same.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 Words and deeds together,
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 honoring Christ.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 But what brings about the results
00:23:16 --> 00:23:19 are stated differently in both passages.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 In Ephesians 5,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 Paul says,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 be filled with the Spirit.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:24 In Colossians 3,
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 he says,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 be filled with the word of Christ.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 What that means
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 is that the Spirit
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 will have greater influence.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 He will provide more direction
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 in your life.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 He will give you greater comfort
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 in times of uncertainty and anxiety.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:45 as God's word dwells in us
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 more and more.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 Word and Spirit
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 go together.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 That is what John 16,
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 13 to 15 says,
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 the Spirit takes that
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 which is from Christ
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 and makes it known to us.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 The comforting words of Christ
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 to his disciples
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 are ours.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:07 Our reading of his word,
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 our time spent memorizing
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 and meditating on scripture
00:24:10 --> 00:24:12 is the main tool
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 that the Spirit uses
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 to help us
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 to think,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 to feel,
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 to speak,
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 to act in ways
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 that are more and more
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 pleasing and glorifying
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 to the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:28 You see,
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 the goal of all
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 biblical learning
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32 is knowing God
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 and the Holy Spirit
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 is crucial to this process.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 The Holy Spirit
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 helps us to see
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 the facts about Jesus Christ
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 but even more than that,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 he helps us to see
00:24:43 --> 00:24:45 the glory
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 and the beauty
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 and the worth
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 of what is written
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 about Jesus Christ.
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 He convicts us
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 of our necessary submission
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 and transformation,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 repentance of sin
00:24:56 --> 00:24:58 and obedience to Christ
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 that follows.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 The word
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 and Spirit
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 go together.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 And so the context
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 of these verses
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 is really crucial
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 for us right now.
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 They promise us
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 that we're never alone.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 The Lord Jesus
00:25:14 --> 00:25:17 has not left us
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 as orphans
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 to do our best
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 and to try and survive
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 in seasons like this
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 until he comes back.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:24 He is not
00:25:24 --> 00:25:27 practicing social isolation
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 from us.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 The promise
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 to his first disciples
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 extends to us.
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 He uttered
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 eternal words
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 of comfort
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 in saying
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 the Spirit
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 will come
00:25:38 --> 00:25:41 not only come
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 to us,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 beside us,
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 but in us.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:51 not just dwell
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 with us,
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 but dwell in us,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 the disciples
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 of Jesus.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 So Jesus promised
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 a unity
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01 and an inexplicable
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 bond
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 that will exist
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 between the people
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 of God
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 and the Holy Spirit.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 The intimacy
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 of the disciple
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 of Jesus
00:26:08 --> 00:26:10 and the Holy Spirit
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 is captured
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12 in the word
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 abiding.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 the Holy Spirit,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 the third member
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 of the Trinity
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 abides
00:26:17 --> 00:26:19 right now
00:26:19 --> 00:26:21 with you,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 with me.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 And this is a
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 clear word for you
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 if you are currently
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 isolated.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 You are not.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 The God
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 who made all things,
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 who has control
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 of all things,
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 if you are in Christ,
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 he's abiding
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 with you right now.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:42 The Holy Spirit's
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 ministry
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 of abiding
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 restores
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 all hope
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 in the
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 monk
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 midst
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 of hopelessness.
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 It secures
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 us on a
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 sure foundation
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 of faith
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 in uncertain
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 times.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 The Holy Spirit
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 therefore explains
00:26:57 --> 00:26:59 how the church
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 not just
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 survives,
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 but how the
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 church
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 thrives
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 and grows
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 in seasons
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 like this.
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 how the church
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 can look
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 beyond itself
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 and look
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 outside of
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 itself
00:27:11 --> 00:27:13 to the needs
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 of others
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 and how the
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 gospel continues
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 to spread
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 to the ends
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 of the earth
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 even
00:27:18 --> 00:27:21 in lockdown
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 moments
00:27:21 --> 00:27:25 because nothing
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 can bind
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 the work
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 of God
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 in this world.
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 The Holy Spirit's
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 abiding in us
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 explains how
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 the disciple
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 of the Lord
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 Jesus can hear
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 the words
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 of this
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 Bible
00:27:37 --> 00:27:41 not as
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 the words
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 of just
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 another human
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 being
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 but as
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 God
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 revealing
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 truth
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 and reality
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 to us
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 right now.
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 The Holy Spirit's
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 abiding is the
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 reason why
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 the disciples
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 of Jesus
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 have life
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 in the face
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 of death,
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 have joy
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 in the face
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 of anxiety.
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 Jesus promised
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 the Spirit
00:28:00 --> 00:28:02 will abide
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 with us
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 forever.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 the Spirit
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 does not
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 come
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 only in
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 seasons
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 of difficulty.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 The Spirit
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08 does not
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 flee
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 when you
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 are struggling
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 with sin.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 His presence
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 does not
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 hinge upon
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 your obedience
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 and your effort.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 His abiding
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 in the
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 Christian
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 rests upon
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 the infinite
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 grace
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 and love
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 of an
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 eternal God
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 who is
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 sovereign over
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 all things.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 when
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 as the
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 people
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 of God
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 we declare
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 together
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 we believe
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 in the
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 Holy Spirit
00:28:33 --> 00:28:36 as we
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 have this
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 morning
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 if you've
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 joined us
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 and sung
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 with us
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 we are
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 confessing
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 something
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 so magnificent
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 so glorious
00:28:45 --> 00:28:47 so powerful
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 so beautiful
00:28:48 --> 00:28:50 and also
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 so humbling.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 You need
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 to know
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 that in
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 this season
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 He is
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 with you.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 So friends
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 can I just
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 encourage you
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 do not
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 waste
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 this crisis.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 Don't waste
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 this crisis.
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 Don't turn it
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 into another
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 opportunity
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 of
00:29:09 --> 00:29:12 self-centeredness.
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 Don't turn
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 into an
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 opportunity
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 of self-centeredness.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 Don't turn
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 into a
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 wonderful
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 opportunity
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 to have
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 rest.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 But as
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 things are
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 forced upon
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 us to
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 slow down
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 take
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 opportunity
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 to abide
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 with Christ
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 in His
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 Word.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 Individually
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 as families
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 worshipping
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 together
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 as small
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 groups.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 We believe
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 in the
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 Holy Spirit.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 May the
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 truth of
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 this statement
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 found in
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 God's Word
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 and the
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 Apostles
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 Creed
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 call us
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 to repentance
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 and to a
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 new and a
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 vibrant and a
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 fruitful relationship
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 with the Spirit
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 of God.
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 The Spirit
00:29:52 --> 00:29:54 who dwells
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 in us
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 and who has
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 sealed us
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 forever
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 in the
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 eternal promises
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 of the
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 triune God.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 Amen.