The Presence of God

In second Corinthians 13, we discovered that as Christians were not left on our own in this world.

Mercy is his restraining love grace. This is forgiving love Providence.

This is over seeing love, his wisdom is his guiding love Calvary is his proven love heaven is his eternal love fit have to do with God. It has to do with love. If you have been awakened in the middle of the night by one of your children bad dream world. The wealth of the storm have been paralyzed with fear. Of course you rush to their side and within seconds the crying and the fear subsided.

Welcome to Renewing Your Mind on this Thursday. I'm really well. Our focus today is on the one thing that you bring us comfort when were gripped by fear. Welcome to the study. We are considering selected passages of the Bible where there are recorded doxology's declarations appraisal benedictions statements of blessing. The most famous benedictions is recorded in second Corinthians chapter 13 verse 14. It is called the grace and is arguably the most well-known of all of the benedictions around the world.

This passage is commonly used by pastors to announce God's blessings on his people as a scatter from the place of worship. This benediction is beautifully stated theologically rich and spiritually comprehensive even though it is very brief.

It is an ocean of truth in just a teaspoon of words often called the grace this benediction is the only benediction that directly mentions all three persons of the Godhead.

God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit.

Each are mentioned in this benediction. But even though we have a picture of God in all of his fullness. This is not about the Trinity.

It is about the Saints and it is about how father son and Holy Spirit are at work to gather to give assurance to those who are in Christ Jesus is about the blessings the saints receive from the Godhead.

Specifically, grace, love and fellowship. Second Corinthians is Paul's sequel to first Corinthians would-be leaders have risen up in that church to undermine Paul's influence to overthrow Paul's leadership call row first Corinthians to address the problem and it only exacerbated the problem. Seems as if first Corinthians gave them ammunition. The key waging war against parcel second Corinthians is the most personal of biographical letter of Paul in the New Testament is as a shepherd. Here, each of opening his heart to the flock pleading with them, but in this personal letter. We see all of the troubles that plagued the church at Karen this verse the grace is his final statement to this troubled church in his final statement.

This most personal letter has nothing to do with Paul. He points the God word says the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all one word be said it well that the church is a miracle in the can only be sustained by the miraculous ministry of God himself.

No amount of human skill or talent or programs can make the church what it ought to be. Only God can do that is right. Only God can do it but here we see that God is willing to do it, the Godhead is at work to make the church what it ought to be providing grace and love and fellowship effect this benediction says that we can face the future with confidence that the abundant blessings of God or with his people.

This Trinitarian benediction gives us a triple assurance, God is with us. First he says that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with you the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with you Paul wrote, definitely 13 letters in the New Testament and his letters regularly appeal to grace is known for the doctrine of justification by faith alone truly grace is more Paul's watchword than faith. We are saved by faith alone because it is by grace alone can hear Paul points us to grace what what is grace is God's unmerited favor. It is his un-deserved kindness. It is the goodness of a superior showing favor to a inferior who is unworthy or 10 preacher, simply say the grace means he could've been another way factor should've been another way we give got every right reason to condemn us to judge us yet because of Jesus Christ. He shows us favor the grace of God is ultimately seen in his saving work in Christ. Salvation is the purest expression of his grace. Ephesians chapter 2 verses eight and nine says, by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your old doing it is a gift of God so that no one may boast here and we find the way of salvation, we are saved by grace God's chosen us in Christ by his grace. He has called us to himself by his grace is justified is through faith in Christ by his grace is sanctifying us by his grace. He will glorify us by his grace we are saved by the finished work of Christ, which is God's gracious gift to us, but in the real sense there is ongoing work of grace. If I may say so. It is Christ himself, that dwells within the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is Christ him self dwelling within the second Corinthians chapter 8 verse nine process for you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, yet for our sake became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich. He became poor for us it's a picture of his humiliation in the incarnation and his crucifixion and that gracious Savior is with us. He dwells within us.

We live in face the future with the assurance that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with us. That is the ongoing blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ on our lives are can use comments here that the picture of his grace remains tilted over the saints waiting to pour out fresh expressions of his love. We are beneficiaries of the grace, the Lord Jesus Christ. John Calvin called this the whole blessing of redemption. The blessings of our salvation indeed can be stated no better than this. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1 verse three we are told it we should bless God because he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

These blessings can be succinctly stated in one word, grace. This grace is sufficient because of its source is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Note the full title is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus referring to his humanity. Lord, his sovereignty, Christ is deity. We are beneficiaries. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul affirms this earlier in this letter. He had a thorn in the flesh, and he prayed three times that God would remove it. The Lord refused and said my grace is sufficient for you, and so is he ends this letter. He says face the future with confidence because you're not traveling by yourself the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with you friends. That's enough, but is not all he secondly says the love of God is with you the love of God is with you the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all again. All three persons of the Godhead are mentioned in this benediction, but it's somewhat out of order. We typically refer to the Trinity is father son and Holy Spirit. This is no academic theological statement of the Trinity. This is a declaration of praise that presents the Godhead experientially real sense, you cannot know the love of God until you experience the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and so he says not only the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But the love of God be with you God is a God of love verse 11, he begins the final greetings by saying. Finally, brothers, rejoice aiming for restoration and comfort one another agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. God is the God of love fact for John for Nate since God is love, God personifies love is essential to who God is mercy as his restraining love, grace is his forgiving love Providence. This is over seeing love, his wisdom is his guiding love Calvary is his proven love heaven is his eternal love that have to do with God. It has to do with love. He is the God of love and his love is with us. Both friends. This does not discount the fact that he is the God of law is a holy adjusted righteous God, but in Christ, he is poured out his love to run for the rebels like you and me for John for Nate says God is love. How do we know that God is love as he woke us up this morning and started us on our way.

Will there be what I don't believe God exists, but he woke them up this morning started them on their way. We know God's love for John for Nate because first John 49 says in this was the love of God manifested the God sent his only son into the world that we may live through him the love of God is with us and it is perfect love from a perfect God. God does not love us because we are lovable we are lovable because God loves us his love is perfect in his love is permanent human love fails because human love changes a person who loves you dearly today can change their mind tomorrow.

Sometimes we may give the reason sometimes they don't need a reason. This is not our God limitations chapter 3 verses 22 and 23 says the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His compassions never come to an end.

They are new every morning and great is your faithfulness. Consider these two statements friends God could never love you less than he loves you right now. God can never love you more than he loves you right now. He loves us perfectly.

He loves us permanently know this means. It means you don't have to be haunted by your past mistakes.

You don't have to be overwhelmed by your present circumstance, you have to be worried about future uncertainties the end of Romans chapter 8 declares that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, the prince of preachers.

Charles Spurgeon was walking down a country lane with a friend. They passed by a barn and on top of the barn was a weathervane and all the weathervane was the words God is love. Spurgeon complained that is the wrong sign for that weathervane. The weathervane moves with the blowing of the wind, but God's love is constant. His friend corrected him and said Charles I think you misunderstand the sign design is meant to indicate whatever way the wind blow God is still the is in a good news. Whatever way the wind blows, whatever the storms may be raging in our lives. God loves us his love is with us the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with us and the love of God is with us. That's enough, but is not all pulses the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you is one of the great explicit statements in which the Holy Spirit is placed alongside equally with the father and the son. That doesn't happen too often in the Scriptures, not because the Holy Spirit is not God but the Holy Spirit is the shy member of the Trinity farming. John 15 verse 28 Jesus as when Holy Spirit comes, he will bear witness about me, and in John 16 verse 14 Jesus as when Holy Spirit comes, he will glorify me the Holy Spirit is the shy member of the Trinity whenever he shows up is always saying look at Jesus here, the Holy Spirit, all of his fullness is presented alongside God the father and God the son, and all three persons are involved in caring for the church in sustaining the church building up the church and the saints who live therein. What is this fellowship of the Holy Spirit for first. It is direct fellowship, we have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. This statement is a blessing to the saints, but it teaches us something important about not just the Trinity, but the personality of the Holy Spirit himself who is the Holy Spirit to essential answers to that question Holy Spirit. First of all, is a person is not in it, or a force or a power Scriptures show us how the Holy Spirit thinks and chooses and wails the Holy Spirit is a person and more than that the Holy Spirit is God. Next 5 feet of conference. Ananias is a fire and warns them that they have lied to God and the same setting. He says reply to the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is God and the proof of both the personhood and the deity of the Holy Spirit is affirmed here in this benediction. You and I can hello ship with the Holy Spirit and so benefit from his ministry to us just as much as we do the love of God and the grace of Jesus Christ we have direct fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

My father passed away when I was 16 years old and in the month later, the God that took away my father gave me a passage to comfort me in my grief never lived with this all of my adult life. It is Romans five versus 3 to 5 process not only sold but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and I love that fifth verse of Romans five that hope never disappoints us he will never be disappointed when you hope and golf because the love of God.

Romans five verse five says is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that he has given to us.

This is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

He lives within to give us constant assurance of God's love for us in Christ.

So we have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Think about that fellowship of the Holy Spirit means that the believers answered to the question where is God is that he is within by the indwelling presence of the life giver, King God lives within we are beneficiaries of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. But not only do we have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we have fellowship through the Holy Spirit from think we can dismiss the fact that Paul gives this benediction to this troubled church that is divided. There was trouble in division and seeing in this church and in his final statement to this troubled church that is so divided he commends them to the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit finds us to God, but it also binds us to one another binds us to God. Notice how he uses the conjunction and here the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit binds us to God, but it also fellowship binds us to one another, even though Paul spends this letter defending himself. Listen to his closing word. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, not just those who are like badges. Overall my side, not just those who don't get on my nerves for the Holy Spirit be with you all. It is a reminder that there is no place for the visions and clicks in the church of Jesus Christ. Anyone who is trying to build or nurture an us versus them mentality in the church is not of God, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with you all the love of God is with you all the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is with you all. Father and daughter would take afternoon walks.

One day they walked further than typical houses were bigger. The streets were longer.

The faces were unfamiliar and dad was concerned that his favorite was overwhelmed by the new experience. He leaned over and said to her dear do you know where you are smiling, she said no, that the you know how to get home from here. No daddy, are you afraid still smiling she confidently said no daddy he said will baby you are brave little girl not to know where you are and not to know your way home and not to be afraid, with an even bigger smile. She says daddy I don't have to be brave, which you you don't have to try to whip up bravery to face whatever the future hope the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ with the love of God is in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. That's Dr. HB Charles Junior from his new teaching series, blessing and praise in your listing to Renewing Your Mind. Thank you for being with us on this Thursday all week. Dr. Charles Fisher been reminding us of the wonderful theology that we find in the benedictions and doxology in Scripture.

In the same part series.

We learned about the equipping, preserving, strengthening and sanctifying work of God. We invite you to request the series. It should contain a single DVD matures for your gift of any amount to regular ministries you can make your request when you go to Renewing Your Mind.org work when you call us at 800-435-4343 that you may not be familiar with Dr. Charles sure he is pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. He's written several books and will be one of our featured speakers at next monthly international conference here in Orlando. This was the first time we've offered his new teaching series show again. We invite you to request it with your gift of any amount is called blessing and praise our web address again is Renewing Your Mind.org or phone number 804 354-3430 tomorrow, will wrap up our highlights of the series and here's a preview, God blesses the community by blessing, the individual, and he blesses the individual by blessing the community. These blessings are for us, but they are not about us. They are about the Lord's message titled blessed by God. We hope you'll join us Friday for Renewing Your Mind