1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,580 I would ask your prayers for Mark Kramer and Dave Sulak, two of our pastors who are in 2 00:00:07,580 --> 00:00:13,840 training this week in Columbus, Ohio, for Evangelism Explosion. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:17,520 The course is quite intense. 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,920 Yesterday they started at 8 o'clock in the morning and went till 8 o'clock at night with 5 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,880 breaks for two meals in there. 6 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:25,120 Other than that, they were being taught. 7 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:31,760 It was very draining, and they will be in that training through Wednesday of this week. 8 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:33,960 So would you remember them in prayer? 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:40,400 This is a part of our preparation for the Evangelism Explosion ministry that will take 10 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,880 place this fall. 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:51,800 Probably no area of doctrine is more controversial in the age in which we live than the doctrine 12 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,360 of the Holy Spirit. 13 00:00:55,360 --> 00:01:02,800 There are people who, alike, love our Lord Jesus Christ, who are committed to Him and 14 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:12,720 to His cause in the world, who have the same convictions about the inerrancy of Scripture, 15 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:19,160 who believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again personally and visibly, who share 16 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,400 many of the same basic doctrines, but who, when it comes to the doctrine of the Holy 17 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:28,720 Spirit, find differences. 18 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:33,120 I think that was illustrated even this last week, or yesterday actually, when I heard 19 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:40,400 that there was a group of people who are now bringing complaint against Jerry Falwell because 20 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:47,440 he is not of the Pentecostal camp or the Charismatic camp and has been given charge of PTL. 21 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:52,240 They believe that he should be removed by some kind of action as chairman of the board 22 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:59,640 of PTL so that another camp, the Charismatic or Pentecostal camp of believers, can take 23 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,240 over that ministry once more. 24 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,880 But without going into the right or wrong of that, it simply illustrates for you what 25 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:11,960 I'm trying to say that this doctrine of the Holy Spirit is one that creates a lot of controversy 26 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:17,000 and sometimes even division among God's people. 27 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,960 That is not why the Holy Spirit came. 28 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,240 He did not come to divide. 29 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:28,340 When there is division, it certainly is not of the Holy Spirit, is it? 30 00:02:28,340 --> 00:02:32,720 We as a local church have conviction regarding the Holy Spirit. 31 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,320 It is stated in our doctrinal statement. 32 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:38,520 It goes like this. 33 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:46,120 We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world 34 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:54,160 of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, empower all who believe 35 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,320 in Jesus Christ. 36 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:02,920 We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that he is an abiding 37 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:07,440 helper, teacher, and guide. 38 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,960 That is a good statement regarding the Holy Spirit. 39 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:16,280 It probably could be more explicit and more complete, but it's a good place to begin 40 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:22,240 at least regarding what we as a church believe about the Holy Spirit, and here is where we 41 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,880 stand on it. 42 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:34,160 In the first place, we believe with everything that is in us that the Holy Spirit is a person. 43 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:43,320 The Holy Spirit is not an it or a thing, but the Holy Spirit is a person. 44 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:45,320 That is, he has personality. 45 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,240 You say, why do we believe that? 46 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:53,760 Well, open your Bible to several texts with me, and I want to show you why we know from 47 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:59,880 the revelation of God's Word that the Holy Spirit is a person. 48 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:05,680 First the Gospel of John and the fifteenth chapter. 49 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:10,760 I'm simply going to select here a couple of texts that will illustrate the same point. 50 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:19,960 In John 15 and verse 26, Jesus says, When the helper comes, whom I will send to you 51 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:26,280 from the Father, and by the way, I would have you notice there that Jesus says, whom I will 52 00:04:26,280 --> 00:04:30,880 send to you. 53 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,480 Look back in chapter 14 and verse 26. 54 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:43,440 Here he says, But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name. 55 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:48,400 And so in chapter 14, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will come forth or proceed 56 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:53,360 from the Father, and here in chapter 15, he tells us that the Holy Spirit will proceed 57 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:55,240 from himself. 58 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:56,960 You say, what difference does that make? 59 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,120 Well, our doctrinal statement makes that point. 60 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:04,480 It begins by saying, we believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and 61 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,400 the Son. 62 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:13,520 Did you know that there's a major division in Christendom over this matter of whether 63 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:20,760 the Holy Spirit came forth only from the Father or from the Father and the Son? 64 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:27,200 Evangelicals, Protestants in general, have followed the teaching, we believe, of the 65 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:32,240 Word of God, which in this case the Roman Catholic Church adheres to, and that is that 66 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:39,520 the Holy Spirit proceeded forth from God the Father and God the Son, whereas the Orthodox 67 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:44,280 churches believe that only the Father sent the Son. 68 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:48,680 And hundreds of years ago, there was a division about that, a division that still remains 69 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:52,080 today in Christendom. 70 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:57,760 Now let me get to the major point here in chapter 15, verse 26. 71 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:05,120 He says, when the Helper comes, that is, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, 72 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:09,840 he will bear witness of me. 73 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:16,080 You notice here that he says that the Spirit is he. 74 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:20,400 Now the word Spirit in the original language is neutered. 75 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,200 That is, there is no gender connected with it. 76 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:31,760 But when the pronoun is used regarding the Holy Spirit, the pronoun is masculine in gender. 77 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,640 That does not mean that the Holy Spirit is male. 78 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:42,200 But that difference in gender, grammatically, points to the fact that the Holy Spirit is 79 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:44,080 a person. 80 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:46,520 What is the significance of it? 81 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:51,640 Now we see this repeated several times in the next chapter, in chapter 16, verses 13 82 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:53,560 and 14. 83 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:59,640 And here, at least eight times in these two verses, the Holy Spirit is called he, and 84 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:02,080 the word his is used of him. 85 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:06,520 It says, but when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. 86 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:11,360 He will not speak of his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will 87 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:17,220 disclose to you what is to come, he shall glorify me, for he shall take of mine and 88 00:07:17,220 --> 00:07:20,000 shall disclose it to you. 89 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:26,200 So you notice here again and again and again that masculine pronoun, he, being used to 90 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:32,320 emphasize the point that the Spirit of God, though the word Spirit is neutered, that the 91 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:37,240 Spirit of God is a person. 92 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,520 I was a teenager before I knew that. 93 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:43,040 I had heard of the Holy Spirit. 94 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:48,800 I sang about him in the doxology and in some hymns that we sang in our church, but I did 95 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:55,280 not know until I was a teenager that the Holy Spirit was actually a person and that he had 96 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:57,400 a relationship with me. 97 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:02,120 That's why I emphasize it for all of us tonight, young and old. 98 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,080 We believe the Holy Spirit is a person. 99 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:10,680 Secondly, we believe he is a person because there is personality expressed with regard 100 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:12,920 to the Holy Spirit. 101 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:20,720 In 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verses 10 through 13, it says there in essence, who knows the 102 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,260 spirit of a man but that man's spirit? 103 00:08:24,260 --> 00:08:29,120 Who knows the things of God but the Spirit of God? 104 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:35,800 I want you to notice there it says that the Holy Spirit knows the things of God. 105 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:43,680 That is, he has intellect, one of the basic essential ingredients of personality. 106 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:46,520 The Holy Spirit possesses intellect. 107 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:48,520 He knows. 108 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:56,280 Secondly, again in 1 Corinthians, this time the 12th chapter and 11th verse, it speaks 109 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:03,240 in the context of the spiritual gifts that he divides those gifts, he gives them out 110 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:11,880 as he wills or as he chooses, as he decides. 111 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:18,840 Here we see an example of a second essential element of personality and that is will. 112 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:23,800 The Holy Spirit possesses will. 113 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:32,800 His will is never in contrast to the will of the Father or the will of the Son. 114 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:39,200 The will of the Father, the will of the Son, the will of the Spirit always perfectly coincide 115 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,920 and coexist. 116 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:47,640 The point I'm making is that just as God the Father has will and God the Son has will, 117 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:54,920 so the Holy Spirit possesses the ability to will and to choose and does, only a personality 118 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:56,520 can do that. 119 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:01,760 And thirdly, the Holy Spirit has sensibility or emotions. 120 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:07,600 Ephesians 4.30, most of you can quote that verse. 121 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:13,520 It says, and grieve not the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of God. 122 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:18,240 In other words, the Spirit of God has sensibility. 123 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,960 He can sense grief. 124 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:22,240 He feels. 125 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:23,240 He has emotion. 126 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,000 He can be grieved. 127 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:31,680 So how do we know that the Holy Spirit is a person and not merely an influence? 128 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:35,800 Because in the first place, personal pronouns are used of him in Scripture. 129 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:40,160 And secondly, because he has personality expressed. 130 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:47,240 All of the essential elements of personality, intellect, will, emotion, are a part of the 131 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,040 Spirit's being. 132 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:56,160 Let me just quickly remind you of some of the actions of the Holy Spirit. 133 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:00,920 Actions which no emanation can have. 134 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,680 No influence can do these things. 135 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:10,560 For example, in Acts 8.29, and if you're taking notes, just write these down because 136 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:12,560 we don't have time to look them all up. 137 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:21,440 Acts 8.29, Acts 13.2, both tell us that the Holy Spirit speaks. 138 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:25,440 In the one case it was to Philip, go down there to the road to Giza. 139 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:32,960 In the other case it was to the elders of the church in Antioch, set aside these men. 140 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:34,480 The Holy Spirit speaks. 141 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:41,120 Now whether you understand those verses, to be talking about an audible voice of the Holy 142 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:48,080 Spirit or an inaudible voice, the point is this, that the Holy Spirit communicates. 143 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:51,560 And he does so still today. 144 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:57,280 The Holy Spirit has the ability to speak to us. 145 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:03,200 And then in Genesis 6.3 it says that the Spirit of God strives with men. 146 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:07,040 We're speaking of those days before the flood, Genesis 6.3. 147 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:08,760 He strives with man. 148 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:13,040 No thing will strive, but a person strives. 149 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:18,280 He strives with man in his wickedness. 150 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:23,960 First Corinthians 2, verses 10 to 13 again, where we said the Holy Spirit knows, it also 151 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:31,520 says there that the Holy Spirit searches the things of God. 152 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:37,320 Romans 8.26, the Holy Spirit intercedes, or he prays. 153 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:43,400 A thing does not pray, only a person can pray. 154 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:54,640 Galatians 5.12, the Holy Spirit sets his desire against the flesh, just as the flesh within 155 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:58,760 it sets its desire against the Holy Spirit. 156 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:06,960 A thing cannot set its desire, but the Holy Spirit sets its desire against the flesh within 157 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:07,960 us. 158 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:16,600 And then Romans 8.14, Acts 16, verse 7, illustrations of the Holy Spirit guiding. 159 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:21,720 Now my point in going through that list of things is simply to give you some actions 160 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:27,080 that are specifically given of the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. 161 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:31,720 Things which no emanation, no thing can have. 162 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:36,040 Only a person can do such things as these. 163 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:41,440 So we believe as a church that the Holy Spirit is a person. 164 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:45,380 Secondly, we believe he is God. 165 00:13:45,380 --> 00:13:48,640 We believe that he is full deity. 166 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:57,520 We teach that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, eternal, underived, that is, he has 167 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:07,840 no beginning, possessing all the divine excellencies, and that in these he is co-equal with the 168 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:13,000 Father and the Son, and that he is consubstantial with them. 169 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:19,640 What that means is he is of the same essence as God the Father and God the Son. 170 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:24,920 That sentence that I just read to you is a sentence that is found in many doctrinal statements 171 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:29,360 to express the fact that the Holy Spirit is God. 172 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:34,720 Well you say, so what, if doctrinal statements say that, does the Bible teach that? 173 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:36,320 Well of course it does. 174 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:40,520 And many of you could point to some of the texts that I'm going to share tonight. 175 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:45,760 Some of these will be new to you, others of you will find them but review. 176 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:50,920 But think with me first of all regarding one text in Scripture where the Holy Spirit is 177 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:54,420 specifically said to be God. 178 00:14:54,420 --> 00:15:01,360 And I'm thinking of Acts chapter 5. 179 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:07,880 It's always good to hear the pages of Bible's turning. 180 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:15,240 Acts chapter 5 verses 3 and 4, but Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to 181 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:22,520 lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 182 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:23,520 Why did it remain unsold? 183 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:25,280 Did it not remain your own? 184 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:28,480 And after it was sold was it not under your control? 185 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:32,640 Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? 186 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:36,520 Now notice in verse 3 he said, you have lied to the Holy Spirit. 187 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:43,040 Notice how he concludes verse 4, you have not lied to men but to whom? 188 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,120 To God. 189 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:54,080 And so here it is clearly stated that to lie to the Holy Spirit as Ananias did is to lie 190 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:55,080 to God. 191 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,260 The Holy Spirit is God. 192 00:15:58,260 --> 00:16:05,240 Now there are other statements that we can draw from in Scripture that also tell us of 193 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:10,680 the deity of the Spirit of God. 194 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:19,600 Let me just turn to one of them found in Jeremiah chapter 31. 195 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:30,360 In verse 31 of this 31st chapter of Jeremiah we have a word regarding God's new covenant. 196 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:35,440 Now my point is not to talk about the new covenant but rather to point out to you who 197 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:39,120 makes this statement regarding the new covenant. 198 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:45,080 It says, behold, days are coming, declares the Lord. 199 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,100 Notice it's all in caps. 200 00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:51,180 This is Jehovah or Yahweh who is speaking. 201 00:16:51,180 --> 00:16:58,120 This name of God is used here, this covenant keeping name of God, Yahweh. 202 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:03,280 Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house 203 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:06,960 of Israel and with the house of Judah. 204 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:12,280 Now as you note there who makes this statement, turn into the New Testament and compare a 205 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:26,680 quotation of this text in Hebrews chapter 10. 206 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:33,560 The writer of Hebrews is led here to speak about this new covenant, a covenant that has 207 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:39,440 been established through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 208 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:45,800 And notice what he says in verse 15 as he prepares to quote from Jeremiah 31, and the 209 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:52,080 Holy Spirit also bears witness to us. 210 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:53,800 And then he quotes from Jeremiah 31. 211 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:55,800 You say what's the point? 212 00:17:55,800 --> 00:18:02,600 Well obviously what is said in Jeremiah 31 to be what the Lord, Yahweh, declares is what 213 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,520 is here attributed to the Holy Spirit. 214 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:13,680 The point being that Yahweh is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is Yahweh. 215 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:15,640 The Holy Spirit is God. 216 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:16,820 He is deity. 217 00:18:16,820 --> 00:18:18,220 That's the point. 218 00:18:18,220 --> 00:18:22,540 Another example of that would be Isaiah 6 verses 8 and 9 if you wanted to just jot that 219 00:18:22,540 --> 00:18:24,560 down for your own reference. 220 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:30,800 Isaiah 6, 8 and 9 compared with Acts 28 verses 25 and following. 221 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,480 The very same thing is done there. 222 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:38,880 Now there's a statement in the New Testament that we can turn to as we think about the 223 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:43,920 fact that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. 224 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:50,180 And that is the familiar statement in Matthew chapter 28, a statement that was quoted this 225 00:18:50,180 --> 00:18:54,360 morning when we baptized. 226 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:58,960 Sometimes it's called the baptismal formula. 227 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,800 Matthew 28 and verse 19. 228 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:12,560 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, our Lord speaking, baptizing them in the name 229 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:18,800 – by the way, notice the singularity of that word, the name, not the names, but the name 230 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:26,960 – of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 231 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:32,640 Now this passage along with 2 Corinthians 13, 14 where another Trinitarian formula is 232 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:40,240 given along with numerous other passages tell us that the Holy Spirit clearly is co-equal 233 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,200 with the Father and with the Son. 234 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:45,520 He is God. 235 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:53,640 And then I could list here at least 10 attributes of deity which are specifically said to belong 236 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,880 to the Holy Spirit. 237 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,200 He is eternal. 238 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:00,640 Hebrews 9, 14. 239 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:04,680 The eternal Spirit there is mentioned. 240 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:06,940 Psalm 139 verses 7 through 10. 241 00:20:06,940 --> 00:20:10,640 He is omnipresent. 242 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,080 Isaiah 40 verses 13 and 14. 243 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:14,920 He is omniscient. 244 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:16,360 He knows all. 245 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:19,640 The Holy Spirit is spoken of in that way. 246 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:20,880 First Corinthians 12, 11. 247 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,000 He is omnipotent. 248 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,760 Now these are attributes of deity ascribed to the Holy Spirit. 249 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:29,320 John 16, 13. 250 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:33,360 The Spirit of truth. 251 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:34,360 Romans 8, 2. 252 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:38,400 He is the Spirit of life. 253 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:39,400 Romans 1, 4. 254 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:43,640 The Spirit of holiness. 255 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:45,800 Ephesians 1, 17. 256 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:49,160 The Spirit of wisdom. 257 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:51,320 Another attribute of God. 258 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:52,600 Hebrews 10, 29. 259 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,560 The Spirit of grace. 260 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:58,200 First Peter 4, 14. 261 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,120 The Spirit of glory. 262 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:08,480 You see all of those attributes describing God are specifically applied in those texts 263 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,840 that I gave you to the Holy Spirit. 264 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,760 The Holy Spirit is God. 265 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:22,080 Now a third thing that we believe about the Holy Spirit is that he is active in this age. 266 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,920 Think with me in the first place how he is active in our world. 267 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:32,000 Our doctrinal statement points out the familiar verse in John 16 verses 7 through 9 which 268 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:37,000 says that the Spirit of God is in the world to convict it of sin and righteousness and 269 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:38,720 judgment. 270 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:42,000 So the Holy Spirit is here as a convictor of sin. 271 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,800 Now how does the Spirit of God do that? 272 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:49,680 Does he convict people for example in tribes who have never heard the preaching of the 273 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:50,680 gospel? 274 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:51,680 No. 275 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:55,640 They have a conscience that bears them witness. 276 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,360 A conscience that may convict them or may excuse them. 277 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:07,360 But it seems to me that the Spirit of God convicts in the world as he uses the word 278 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:10,960 of God proclaimed through the church. 279 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:17,080 That is how he is enabled to bring conviction to unsaved people. 280 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:21,960 It is as you and I, the representatives or the ambassadors of Christ declare the word 281 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:27,860 of God, the Holy Spirit then performs his ministry of conviction. 282 00:22:27,860 --> 00:22:32,160 You know don't you that you are not the convictor. 283 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:36,040 You don't have to do the work of the Spirit of God. 284 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:40,000 All you have to do is share the truth and then get out of the way and let the Spirit 285 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:41,640 of God bring the conviction. 286 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:43,800 And he will. 287 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:49,040 But the Holy Spirit has a second ministry in the world and that is a ministry that is 288 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:54,300 described in 2 Thessalonians 2 and I would like to turn to that one because it is less 289 00:22:54,300 --> 00:22:55,720 spoken of. 290 00:22:55,720 --> 00:23:13,280 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 291 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:20,560 Now it says in verse 3, let no one in any way deceive you for it will not come unless 292 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,800 the apostasy comes first. 293 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:24,800 Now what is it? 294 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:29,960 Well it is the day of the Lord mentioned in the previous two verses. 295 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:36,320 And he says, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes 296 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:45,780 and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his 297 00:23:45,780 --> 00:23:50,000 seat in the temple of God displaying himself as being God. 298 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,520 What is he talking about? 299 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:58,520 He is talking about the man of lawlessness or the antichrist who is to appear at the 300 00:23:58,520 --> 00:23:59,520 end of this age. 301 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:05,800 And he says he will come in connection with the apostasy, that is the falling away from 302 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:10,520 the truth of the professing church. 303 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:18,460 And now in verse 6 it says, and you know what restrains him now so that in his time he may 304 00:24:18,460 --> 00:24:20,320 be revealed. 305 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:26,160 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, says Paul 2,000 years ago. 306 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:34,560 Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way, and then that 307 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:39,280 lawless one will be revealed. 308 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:47,200 What is happening in our world tonight is that the Spirit of God is restraining evil. 309 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:55,240 He is performing a particular ministry, my fellow Christian, which is very much to your 310 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,400 benefit in mind. 311 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:08,160 The Holy Spirit is this night, at this very second, in the world restraining evil. 312 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:11,400 Now not completely, obviously. 313 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:20,760 But he is there keeping Satan from bringing to culmination at this point what he would 314 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,640 like to. 315 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:31,360 At some time Satan will bring forth this culmination of his work in his great masterpiece, his 316 00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:35,500 puppet, the antichrist. 317 00:25:35,500 --> 00:25:43,760 But now Satan is being restrained, evil is being held back by the Spirit of God. 318 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:48,120 The result of that is that you and I are able to live. 319 00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:54,560 I believe that the Holy Spirit is restraining evil so that you and I are shielded and protected 320 00:25:54,560 --> 00:26:04,240 from what evil would like to do to us. 321 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:10,360 What you and I believe as evangelical Christians is more and more becoming public knowledge 322 00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:14,920 in our nation. 323 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,060 A good deal of it has not been public knowledge up to this point. 324 00:26:18,060 --> 00:26:22,640 Not that we've kept it a secret, it just hasn't been a part of the media. 325 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:27,220 It just hasn't been exposed that much in our world. 326 00:26:27,220 --> 00:26:33,360 But those things that you and I hold dear, that we believe with all of our hearts, are 327 00:26:33,360 --> 00:26:42,440 now beginning to appear in printed form on talk shows and other places. 328 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,240 And what is the result? 329 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,160 Is there an attraction to those things? 330 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:49,840 No. 331 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:59,100 The result is very often mocking, ridicule, jeering. 332 00:26:59,100 --> 00:27:05,200 If you have a hard time waking up some morning, turn on Phil Donahue. 333 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:13,280 You'll wake up in a hurry, especially if there's a guest on there who is an evangelical Christian. 334 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:20,280 If you do not become indignant with the way that Mr. Donahue normally treats such people, 335 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:25,720 people like you and I, like you and me, something's wrong with you. 336 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:35,120 It is a shame, but inevitably such people are mocked. 337 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:40,120 They are not allowed to say what they want to say. 338 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:43,840 And what they believe is held up for jeering and ridicule. 339 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:48,840 Now the same thing is true in newspapers. 340 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:55,640 There was a religion page writer in the Twin Cities a few weeks ago that I will not name. 341 00:27:55,640 --> 00:28:02,960 He talked about some of the things that I've just mentioned to you from 2 Thessalonians 342 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:07,360 chapter 2 and mocked it. 343 00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:11,480 And the essence of the article was, and maybe some of you read it, the essence of the article 344 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:15,480 was if you believe stuff like this, you've got a screw loose somewhere. 345 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,240 There's something wrong with you. 346 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:19,440 Now why am I saying this? 347 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:29,240 Because I believe that as people in our society become more and more aware of what we believe, 348 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:32,980 as they become aware of the fact that we truly are committed to the fact that one must be 349 00:28:32,980 --> 00:28:36,560 born again through faith in Jesus Christ to be right with God, that there is no other 350 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:40,160 way to God but through Jesus Christ. 351 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:44,240 As they understand that we believe this to be the singular revelation from God and that 352 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:49,440 there is no other revelation, there is no other way to God, no other way to know God, 353 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:53,160 that there is no other God but the God of the Bible. 354 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:57,080 As they begin to understand that you and I truly believe that, I want you to know that 355 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:02,360 the floodgates of persecution are going to be unleashed against us. 356 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,660 I'm not going to predict when that will be. 357 00:29:05,660 --> 00:29:09,720 It may be sooner than we might like to think. 358 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:14,640 I'm convinced that the only thing that has held that back up to this point has been the 359 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,320 restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit. 360 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:25,480 Now it's interesting that the word that is used of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4 is 361 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:32,600 the word snatch away, catch away. 362 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:39,600 It means to seize quickly, to rescue from danger. 363 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:46,400 I wonder if the word doesn't suggest that when the rapture of the church occurs, it 364 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:53,840 is going to be a time of unparalleled persecution of the church and hatred for the gospel of 365 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:59,000 Jesus Christ in our world, and not just in the United States, but in many other parts 366 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:01,440 of the world as well. 367 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:05,200 I believe that suggestion is at least there. 368 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:11,880 I want you to know that a pluralistic society, which we are supposed to have as a country, 369 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:18,960 which is a farce, it never has been pluralistic. 370 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:23,360 I'd like to talk about that, but I won't. 371 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:29,480 A pluralistic society is a society that is in transition. 372 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:35,680 And our society is in transition from a Christian, a quote Christian culture, a Judeo-Christian 373 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:45,760 culture, to a culture that will be partly humanistic and partly demonic. 374 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:51,440 There are those religion writers, cult experts today who are telling us that our society 375 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:59,040 is no longer going toward humanism, but having found that empty, it is now going toward demonism. 376 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:09,400 The worship of the occult, and we see this in the Oriental religions and in various 377 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:19,480 other exposures of that kind of thought. 378 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:27,560 Our society is going to turn on evangelical Christianity, and it will be in that time, 379 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:32,200 I believe, when there is persecution against us, that the church will be purified, and 380 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:38,400 how much of that God will let us experience, who can know? 381 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,320 But I believe that that will precede the rapture of the church. 382 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:45,800 Now I'm convinced that the rapture can occur at any moment. 383 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:50,760 The coming of our Lord is imminent, but I believe that times are going to be very difficult. 384 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:53,960 And isn't that what the New Testament says? 385 00:31:53,960 --> 00:32:02,200 It says that these days will be hard to deal with, hard to live in, difficult times. 386 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:06,480 The only thing that has shielded us and protected us to this point is the Spirit of God in His 387 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:10,080 restraining ministry in the world. 388 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:15,680 What I'm suggesting to you is that He is beginning now to loose that restraining ministry. 389 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:19,160 It is not happening all at once. 390 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:27,920 But He is beginning to release Himself from this ministry as He must do, as must take 391 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:34,840 place so that Antichrist can come forward and the tribulation period be upon us. 392 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:39,360 So the Holy Spirit is active in this age, in the world. 393 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:45,040 Now we will take up on next Sunday evening the Holy Spirit and His work in us, in the 394 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:46,040 church. 395 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:50,960 But let us thank God tonight for the ministry of His Holy Spirit. 396 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:54,440 We sang the song that I was really going to close with earlier. 397 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:56,440 We'll not sing it again. 398 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:02,880 But greater is He that is in you than He who is in the world. 399 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:07,920 You and I tonight are shielded from what evil would like to do to us. 400 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:11,880 We are protected by the power of God. 401 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:19,360 We don't have to be afraid as we see these difficult times on the horizon. 402 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:25,080 We need not become anxious and fearful as we might, humanly speaking, knowing that our 403 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:32,200 Lord sovereignly is in control and there will nothing happen to us that is outside of what 404 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:36,400 He permits and allows for His own purposes. 405 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:45,280 Let us rejoice tonight in this blessed person who is God, the Spirit, and who is bringing 406 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:51,160 conviction to the world and restraining the world and at the same time protecting and 407 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:56,600 shielding the Church of Jesus Christ from the powers of evil. 408 00:33:56,600 --> 00:34:03,840 Would you stand with me and let's pray together as we close. 409 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:06,880 Let's bow together. 410 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:13,040 Father in heaven, I thank you for the ministry of protection that you give to us. 411 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:22,200 I thank you that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear you and delivers them. 412 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:27,520 We rejoice in that which the Spirit of God is doing in our world tonight so that we may 413 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:38,040 be protected and so that we may at the same time be free to proclaim the Word of God, 414 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:42,560 which then the Spirit uses to bring conviction. 415 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:51,940 I pray that we will be a people who are aware of the Holy Spirit, not just as an influence 416 00:34:51,940 --> 00:34:55,760 or for that matter more evangelical, just as one who is in us. 417 00:34:55,760 --> 00:35:04,520 But may we see the Spirit of God at work in our world today and rejoice. 418 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:15,640 Lord teach us of your Spirit and how we may walk in the power of the Spirit and be fruitful. 419 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:33,840 In Jesus' name I pray, amen.