This broadcaster has 1041 podcast archives available on-demand.
Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.
May 19, 2020 1:00 am
The Bible reveals that God works by the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who believe, providing day-by-day guidance, comfort, wisdom, and insight for even the smallest detail of life. Who is the Holy Spirit? It’s vital for us to know.
Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)Looking to Jesus in the Bible reveals God works by the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who believe in providing guidance, comfort, wisdom and insight, even the smallest detail of life.
What is the Holy Spirit is to know today will find out from church in Chicago this morning when Sir was clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line elixir give us a preview of your message on the spirit we embrace you know Dave, the simple fact is the Holy Spirit of God. There's so many differences of opinion regarding the holies. But oftentimes evangelicals kind of backoff and don't talk about the Holy Spirit, but we need to talk about it. We need to understand the work of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives, given to us to energize us to direct us to give us all we need to live the Christian life. That's why I'm so excited about this message and you know, for the many of you who listen to running to win and you are blessed. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner endurance partners are people who stand with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com's RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button to receive the information that you need or call us at 1-888-218-9337.
Now let us open our hearts to God's word and learn about the blessed Holy Spirit given to God's people.
I think it was Ajay Gordon who was one of the founders of Gordon Divinity school, who said that on one occasion he was walking along when he noticed in the distance there was a man pumping water and he was pumping effortlessly tirelessly inconsistent way. But as Gordon got closer he noticed that it wasn't a man at all.
In fact, it was a man cut live size out of plywood. It was not that the man was pumping water, but the man was being pumped by an artesian well.
Jesus said on one occasion he was thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said from within him.
There shall be rivers of living water, and then John adds these words but this he spoke of the spirit that those which believe in him should receive for the spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. So Jesus said you come to me and you drink and you can have a well of water as he said to the woman at the well springing forth to everlasting life.
Why is it that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is so critical for us as Christians. First of all, because many people think that walking in the spirit is something that belongs to super saints. They think it is something that is unattainable for those possibly walk with God for many many years. Line here today to tell you that the notion of walking in the spirit and being filled with the spirit those doctrines actually apply to all struggling Christians. So if you're here today and you're a struggling Christian. I've got good news for you. And then there are those who say well it's too mysterious. It's also controversial churches have sometimes split over the filling of the spirit over the idea of whether or not there are certain manifestations connected with it.
The devil is used.
All of these things to somehow blind us to the power that you and I can experience in the intimacy that we can experience with the spirit, and so today we are going to think about the doctrine of the spirit. But it will be transforming.
We will leave here differently than we have, because we've heard God's word and God's truth has changed us every thought to yourself how wonderful it would be if you had been with Jesus when he was here on earth. People want to walk where Jesus walked. Just ask Roy Schwartz of sitting here at the front. He's taken many, many trips to Israel. People say I want to walk where Jesus walked. Show me the steps where Jesus once walked, we all want to walk where Jesus walked.
So we'd like to have been back there but did you know that we have advantages today that the disciples didn't have.
Jesus said it is good for you that I go away because of my don't go away. I can't send the comforter to you but when I send the Paraclete, the comforter, he will abide with you forever.
Now he's with you, but he's going to be in you. Jesus said it's good that I'm leaving. By the way, that word Paraclete has been variously translated. Sometimes I've seen translations that collect the counselor called him the counselor, I will send the counselor to you and some translations called the spirit, the comforter, the guide others. The companion the advocate the encourager and I thought to myself, what is the best translation of that word correctly. Actually, all of those words fit because the spirit is to us what we need at the moment you need encouragement.
The spirit is there to encourage you do need guidance. The spirit is there to guide you. You need an advocate with the father of all the spirit is our advocate and so is Jesus your need is to be met by the Holy Spirit of God and Jesus said that in Old Testament times the spirit was with you but now we shall be in you permanently in the dwelling you he will abide with you forever is the gift of the Holy Spirit to God's people, you say well when the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within us as will see in a moment when the spirit comes. Is it right to say that Jesus comes to and that the father comes now what we need to do is to think theologically, you know, this is the fourth in a series of messages titled what we believe and the difference that it should make.
So let's think as theologians course it's not possible for the Holy Spirit of God to indwell us without the father and the son also coming to indwell us because you cannot ontologically separate the Trinity. Jesus said in John chapter 14 verse 23 that if a person loves me. I will love him and my father will love him and we together will come and make our abode with him. So you see the Holy Spirit and the father and the son are separated in Scripture in certain ways. But then the distinction between them also is somewhat blurred, at least to our way of thinking because the Trinity. While it is mysterious is not a contradiction, and how thankful we are that God is a Trinity you're here a few weeks ago and I lectured on the Trinity. You know how important that is. So it's correct to say that Christ is in you the hope of glory is correct to say that the father is within us. But the ministry that is emphasized in the New Testament is the ministry of the third person of the Trinity within us the blessed Holy Spirit of God, and that means that we have the companionship of God. God is with us no matter where we go. He's with us as we drive along the Kennedy Expressway is with us as we ride the L he is with us wherever we go. The companionship of God. Also, the power of God.
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you oftentimes pastor safe that were doing a mess is the word from which we get dynamite. The Holy Spirit is the dynamite of God.
Let's true from the standpoint of the etymology of the word, but dynamite is not a good way to illustrate the spirits work.
The spirit works imperceptibly, the spirit works gently. The spirit works quietly.
Sometimes we don't even observe the work of the spirit and is working but is powerful because he is God of very God. The companionship of God, the power of God the spirit of God also gives us the desires of God when you got saved, God gave you a new nature and that new nature comes accompanied with the gift of the holy spirit to solicit possible for a Christian to be genuinely saved and still walk in sin and the answer is yes, I'm sure we've all done it and there are those who persistently live in sin, but listen carefully.
If you're a Christian, and the Holy Spirit is dwelling within you.
When you deliberately sin your misery index goes off the charts. You just can't stand it because you are one person in Christ and your living as if you're another person you belong to God in your living as if you belong to the devil. God implanted within you a desire for holiness and now you have chosen to live contrary to that and it is so so unpleasant and in the end, so guilty and so much emptiness.
That's why coming to Christ sometimes makes things worse guys. As you know, before I got saved I was sleeping with my girlfriend and it never bothered me. We just thought that we were fulfilling our desires and after all we were adults etc. etc. after he gets saved still wants to, but he camped in many when he continues that lifestyle. It is so miserable, so unfocused, filling you don't want to hear the Bible you don't want to go to church. Why, because you are living contradiction. Your contradict being who you have become in Christ. Now the text for today is first Corinthians chapter 6, first Corinthians chapter 6, every Bible open. If you don't have a Bible there is a pew Bible at least a few of them because it's important for you to always keep your finger on the text first Corinthians chapter 6, the apostle Paul has three questions when he gets to verse 15, three questions in verse 15 of first Corinthians chapter 6, do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ.
Question number two. Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute never. By the way not to preach on this today. Though I could. The next verse gives the most. Not only the most interesting, but the greatest insight into sexual immorality can be found in all of literature. All the wisdom of the world put together cannot equal what Paul says now he says that if you are a member even of a prostitute because you're involved with her sexually pieces you become one body, and it's that metaphysical relationship of oneness that has far-reaching implications, but then he says them, but he was joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with them flee from sexual immorality.
Remember Corinth was rife with homosexuality and prostitution. Every other sin. A person commits is committed outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
There is a kind of corrosion of the spirit that takes place in sexual sin that is unique and then he says or do you not know now or in verse 19 that your body is at Temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, don't you know that you are not your own, you can't live the way you please because you've been brought with the price.
So glorify God in your body. Here's what I'm going to do I'm going to take the phrase we are the spirits Temple and I'm going to look at it in three different ways three different ways to look at the phrase, each having a different aspect of the spirits indwelling. First of all that we take the phrase weird the spirits Temple.
The great emphasis is on the word we we are the spirits Temple that emphasizes the location of the spirit.
God is always wanted to dwell with his people, the garden of Eden. He walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day than in the temple area God came to dwell in the holy of holies. And now what Paul is saying is do you not know that your body is a believer because this now is post Pentecost when the spirit is come, do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in Greek. There are two words for temple. One is Iran, which refers to the whole temple complex. The other is the word no loss, which refers to the inner shrine or the holy of holies.
And that's the word Paul uses here. Do you not know that the holy of holies has been transferred to your body that when you go to work tomorrow morning. You are taking God with you the holy of holies is with you.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God individually, but also, Paul teaches elsewhere that were also the body of Christ collectively as a church that's why says whoever destroys the temple of God, to him will God destroy you. Now Paul is talking about congregation. This sanctuary is just an ordinary sanctuary bill to Rick and plaster and steel and other kinds of ingredients features and yet there's a sense when we meet together here God meets with us here in ways that he does not meet when were not in church, no question about it and when you come off of Clark Street or LaSalle Street and you step into this building on a Sunday morning, you are actually leaving that which we call profane to come to that which is sacred, God comes here. The Holy Spirit of God is among God's people woman was bringing a trashy novel into a church service and an usher stopped her and said you know you shouldn't bring that in here, maybe the usher was right. Normally we want the ushers to let people sit down. But here's the question that I have for you. If it wasn't right for her to read it in the church service or even bring it into quote the sanctuary if that wasn't right. How could it possibly be right for her to be reading it in secret and polluting her soul for the blessed Holy Spirit of God has been pleased to dwell, so Paul says the spirit of God dwells in you and he who does not have the spirit is none of his. And it shows you the location of the spirit spirit is within this body that you brought with you today here in Chicago or the body that you are listening with around the world. That's the location of the spirit. One hour can emphasize the phrase spirits.
By that I mean possessive.
We are the spirits Temple.
That means ownership. We are owned by the spirit pulses that don't you realize you're not your own. You been bought with a price.
Now why is it that Jesus said that the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because the people of the world are not included in this phrase of having been purchased with a price they can prove that they were when they believe, but but it's it's important to understand that we have been purchased in a unique way by Christ.
Now let's suppose you're driving through the neighborhood and you come across a house that you really like and you say to your spouse. You know I like that house. Let's get a truck moving van. Let's take all of our furniture from our house and let's bring it to this house. Can you do that course not, you'd be arrested at least and then you'd be tested by some psychiatrist to see whether not all the lights were working you can't do that you have to body at first, before Jesus can move in by his spirit he purchased us we are his. And that's why the world cannot receive the spirit. But the spirit comes to those who responded to Jesus and he moves in the Holy Spirit of God takes up residence and we belong to God by virtue of creation.
We were created by God in that sense everybody belongs to God. But there's a unique sense in which we belong to God as Christians, we not only belong to him by virtue of creation. We also belong to him by virtue now of redemption. We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, you say well did God overpay of you know your own heart you know right well he overpaid. That's why we call it grace. So what the text is trying to tell us is that we belong to God. We aren't our own.
This impacts the use of the body. The use of the body where the body goes what the body sees what the body by what the body says using its tongue in its mouth. All that is involved now and under the leadership and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and everything that you own is also owned everything that that body owns, whether it's a bank account or whatever car you drive everything that the body owns is owned by the person who purchased the body, namely Jesus. It affects the use of the body. It affects the health of the body, one of the reasons that we should take care of ourselves, eat well, exercise is because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit member some time ago I told you about the man who stood on a bathroom scale and as he saw the numbers go by.
He said this, he said. My body isn't a temple.
It's a garage will don't treat your body as if it's a garage it's a temple of the Holy Spirit. And when it comes time for you to die, as inevitably it will you say like one woman said was told that she had cancer, she said. I struggled with it for a while until I realize that this body wasn't mine belong to God, and you know how valuable God thinks your body is. He thinks it's so valuable that someday it's going to be raised and re-created like under the body of Jesus Christ because God says I redeemed you body soul and spirit, and the day is coming when you're going to be fully and totally redeem even your body is going to be reading that wonderful one.
My friend, this is Pastor Luther's net wonderful that salvation is complete and total body soul and spirit.
Let me ask you a question. Would you be surprised if I were to tell you that my lovely wife Rebecca struggled greatly about me becoming the pastor of Moody Church. It was really a crisis in our marriage. What was she thinking. What was I thinking, and how was it resolved. While these are the kinds of questions that are answered in an interview that we did entitle the story of our marriage. 50 years of God's faithfulness as we look back over the years, we can see the hand of God, even at times when we didn't perceive it.
While the event was happening. Sometimes time gives us a different perspective.
I think you'd be blessed by this for a gift of any amount. This interview can be yours. Go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the story of our marriage. 50 years of God's faithfulness, but may give you that phone number again 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. As we learn about the spirit we embrace, we discover an amazing vision for our daily lives. Next time I'm going to win will learn more about the 14 ministries of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and how each one should impact your life plan to running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin Luzerne this is Dave Callister running to win is sponsored by the teacher