The Holy Spirit and the Believer Today #2

Scripture is the authority, not the claims of a guy with goofy hair on a TV set, says God spoke to me, not from a woman who says that God meets her at 4 o'clock the morning is going to have some fellowship with where is truth found thanks for joining us on the truth that with Don green founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and today Don continues teaching God's people.

God's will I build right Don is moving further into our series title spirit today with part two of a message called the Holy Spirit and the believers today. Last time Don discussed the first two of three main works of the Holy Spirit regeneration and indwelling today will cover sanctification defining it for you and will also look at the fruits of the spirit, which are the mark of true believers in Jesus Christ to have your Bible open and ready as we join our teacher right now in the truth of so you ask me do I believe in the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer today. Absolutely I do would be a believer without the Holy Spirit, and every true believer has the living Holy Spirit abiding in him, indwelling him. From the moment of his conversion all the way to the end. Beloved, there is no man that can do that Mary can't do that for you know priests that can do that Joseph Smith can't do that. Mary Baker Eddy can't do that.

Today's so-called prophets can't do that. This is a work that only the spirit of God can do, and he does do it for every true believer. These are great. Truly great realities of which Scripture speaks. These are the great realities that make it so that a man does not go to hell for eternity but rather dwells in heaven with Christ for eternity. These are the great realities that produce real conversion real new life in the hearts of men who previously were hostile to God.

Some of you can remember. You are actively hostile to God.

I was the way I use the name of Christ in my pre-converted days is appalling and I was hostile to that name. Beloved, no man change that no man changed it in you either. The reason that you have a new disposition toward God and his word is because the spirit of God worked on your heart. Now what we must do as believers in Christ, especially in this age is have a high great appreciation for the eternal magnitude of that kind of work by the Holy Spirit so that we recognize it as an elevated lofty work beyond comparison to anything else. And when you have that rooted in your mind. Then you're not attracted to the cheap imitations that are done under stage lights in controlled environments claiming to be works of the Holy Spirit, you realize that these things are just external that they are passing that they are not even real because you know the true because you value the true you not attracted to the counterfeit, you realize that Scripture speaks of a work inside the man by the word rather than outside the word in wonders for now. We just want to see that arise for you and me his fellow believers in Christ for us to have the power of sin used to dominate us broken in our hearts to have a new power that is attracted to righteousness that can understand the word of God that that loves the people of God to have a mind that can read the word of God with understanding when that's real in your mind when that's real in your heart when you've truly been born again by the spirit that is the most precious possession in your life that routes your affections on matters of the word applied to the inner man we must appreciate this work that the Holy Spirit really does in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14. It says this in him meaning in Christ you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation having also believed, you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of his glory. Scripture says you were sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit, what is that mean in ancient times.

Ancient documents were sealed with wax to close them to protect them and to certify that they came from the owner, so they were sealed in a way that protected the contents and verified them as being from the owner what Scripture describes in this ceiling aspect of the Holy Spirit is this. When the spirit of God came upon you. He stamped you as belonging to God, he market you out to show that you belonged to him. There was a unique mark from God placed on you not in the physical realm.

But in the spiritual realm that showed that you were really from God that in the salvation was real.

The owners distinct seal guaranteed the authenticity of the document. So what's the mark of the spirit of God in life today is it this Scripture tell us to look for outward manifestations of signs that that's the fruit of the spirit Galatians 522 and 23 the fruit of the spirit in a realities that manifest themselves in life, love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control dropped one of along the way. Galatians 522 and 23 those fruit being the mark the overflow. The impress the action that the spirit does on the lives of those that he saves. That is the seal that is the mark.

Those of you that were converted in your dark adult life like I was.

Didn't you see the change from the former person you were to what you became before you were angry and enslaved to lusts and somehow it dawned on you that you had been born again when you would put your faith in Christ you started to see fruit from your life that had never been there before. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. No man does that and so we love the Holy Spirit. We love the work of the spirit. We believe in the work of the spirit of God.

We are looking to Scripture to let Scripture tell us what that looks like because Scripture is the authority, not the claims of a guy with goofy hair on a TV set, who says God spoke to me, not from a woman who says that God meets her at 4 o'clock in the morning as he got have some fellowship with her.

That's not it. You see, were talking about fundamental matters of how do we know what is true. Where is truth found not in the claims of the 21st-century false prophets in the claims of the first century writings of the appointed apostles of Jesus Christ. We go to the word of God and we find out what is true and this is what God attributes as the work of the spirit in this age that one more thing about this aspect of the indwelling of the spirit, the spirit is a pledge to us as well. A pledge look at second Corinthians chapter 1, second Corinthians chapter 1, second Corinthians chapter 1 in verse 21. Again, notice the inner work.

Second Corinthians chapter 1 verse 21. Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God who also sealed us. There's that word and gave us the Spirit in our hearts in the inner man as a pledge is a pledge chapter 5 verse five of second Corinthians chapter 5 verse five. Now he who prepared us for this very purpose is God who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. The spirit is a pledge in the sense that he is a down payment from God. What is a down payment due on a mortgage a down payment is a promise that there's more to come is a guarantee that there will be more that is delivered later. God gives us the Holy Spirit in this life and the presence of the Holy Spirit is the indication of a promise from God that he will complete what he has begun that there is more to come, that that as the Holy Spirit has started to work there will be a greater fulfillment in the end, a pledge, a promise that cannot be broken from God that says I have more in store for you. When a young man gives a young woman an engagement ring. What is it except that there's a promise of more to come. There will be a fulfillment. There will be a consummation of our relationship in this ring is a symbol of my promise that that will come in in the wedding.

Another symbol of a ring is given to keep these promises were now consummating a symbol of Val that this will take place. Sometimes men and women don't do a great job on those today. But God keeps his promises.

When God makes a pledge. You can know for certain that the fulfillment will take place that there will be a consummation, and so fat.

The fact that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us that we can recognize by the spiritual fruit that he produces in our lives when there is an ongoing abiding change that takes place in a life you're recognizing the pledge from God to that person. This is really glorious.

The pledge from God to that person. What I started to finish as good as the foretaste is now as good as as good as this preliminary feast is there's a consummating fee since yet to come for you, my beloved speaking in those terms. The promise from God that he will fulfill what he is started. The spirit is God's pledge to that notice. The pledge that he gave the heart notice it. Notice the pledge not in external signs that can be manipulated and changed but a pledge of God himself. God gives the Spirit himself is the pledge that he will do what he says and he has done that for you, beloved fellow Christian beloved brother in Christ, beloved sister in Christ, think with me. What have we been saying the Scripture say about the reality of who you were enslaved to various lusts that in trespasses and sins, not understanding no one who does good, not even one in here. You are abiding walking through life now is a true Christian with the spirit abiding in you indwelling.

You as a pledge from God. He's got even better things in store for you that promotes praise from the believing heart that gives us spiritual confidence that overcomes that allows us to persevere through the severe adversities of life beloved.

These are the true so I hope you anchorman I hope you go back and listen to these things again because this is where it is at. These are the things that anchor you even as you are approaching death because even as your outer man is decaying. You lay hold of the pledge of the spirit you lay hold of the work of God, you lay hold of what he's done and realized that it's a promise that what is started, he will finish and unlike so many who approach death with fear.

The pledge of the spirit is your ability to be able to look forward and to walk through that with a sense of serenity what my God is started, he will finish I will be safe on the other side because he pledged it in the pledge that he gave was of himself. Finally, let's quickly look at the final work of the Spirit in the work in the life of the believer today. It's the work of sanctification, the work of sanctification. Now there are two aspects to sanctification, which is sometimes missed the first aspect is what theologians call definitive sanctification or positional sanctification, what they mean. When theologians talk this way what they mean by this is that Christians true Christians have been set apart by the spirit, for Christ to sanctify means to set apart and when the spirit of God worked in your heart and you were saved. Beloved. He did this he set you apart.

He took you out from the clump of humanity, of sinful humanity and placed you in the body of Christ, he set you apart so that you were to belong to Christ, henceforth and forever more. And sin was no longer your master sin is no longer your master the reason that we can grow in grace is because the power of sin is been broken.

Sin is no longer the master Christ is you been set apart you been sanctified in that way spirit Holy Spirit also does a work of progressive sanctification, progressive sanctification Lewisburg cough defines it this way, the reformed theologian says progressive sanctification is this is that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Spirit, by which he purifies the center renews his whole nature in the image of God and enables him to perform good works. Spirit purifies us the spirit renews our nature after the image of God.

The Spirit gives us the power to perform good works. People who find themselves just completely and utterly unable to break the power of sin should realize that there's that's a mark of the absence of the spirit of God in their lives. I realize you may have prayed a prayer walk denial in the past. I realize some have memories of their mama praying by the bedside when they were three or four supposedly given your heart to Jesus, but 20, 30 years later there's nothing in that life that shows that they really loved that they love Christ life given over to sin. A life given over to darkness.

A life with no love for the things of God.

No love for his people. That is the mark of the absence of the spirit of God because one of the things that the spirit of God does is he is he moves us in the direction of holiness you say but what about that time with my mama well lots of things happen on a superficial level, the don't result in anything that really changed, but I prayed with my mom to which I reply, but where's the spirit of God in your life. Where is the mark of that show me your faith by your works. Show me your faith by the end of the spirit in your life say but if what you're saying is true then that time with my mom. I wasn't really saved. Yeah, that's exactly what were saying because the presence of the spirit of God is shown by the fruit that he produces in a life in the spirit does this sanctifying work in the hearts of everyone that is saved, the absence of that should cause you to go back to the drawing board and reassess all of life and go to God with a humble prayer that says God have I missed it completely. Have mercy on my send our console, have mercy on me in Christ. Maybe I was never saved God help me now is this is too urgent to miss look at Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 in verse 11, Romans eight verse 11.

If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. There's that indwelling work again.

What inevitably happens, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you, there will be a mark of the life of the spirit of God who dwells in every true Christian.

Remember, there will be a mark that shows the signs of spiritual life, not spiritual death were not saying the true believers can't struggle with the setting sins of course they do world were talking about something different. Where is your love for the word of God.

Where is your love for Christ. Where is your passion for for knowing him. Where's your hope as you look to eternity.

Where's the mark that something other than the things of this earth are the most important thing in your life. Where is that shown in your life. Somehow someplace because the spirit gives that kind of life to everyone that he indwells verse 12. So then brethren, where under obligation not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, frightening words here. If you are living according to the flesh, you must die. But if by the spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live for all who are being led by the spirit of God. These are sons of God, you could say that those who are being led by the spirit of God and they and they alone are the sons of God. One final verse, you don't need to turn their from Galatians chapter 5 verse 16 as we described this work of sanctification. Paul says, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. So what have we seen here today beloved. What is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer today regeneration indwelling sanctification works that no man can do works which are known by the fruit that they produce in the heart of the one who believes this is the work of the Holy Spirit work that it's not too much to say you CEC this right seat you see this from the word of God. This is what the reality of the work of the Spirit of God is and so many times those who claim to have the spirit by signs and wonders are notorious for their worldly ungodly dispositions behavior and lifestyle. So go to the word and see the work of the spirit and have discernment. Go to the word see the work of the spirit and ask whether you see something of that being manifested in your life and if you do and you find the presence of the spirit of God, operating know that God has saved you in the Lord Jesus Christ, that God has given the spirit to use a pledge that he's going to do far greater things for you. Even in the future you will gather around the table, you will have a seat reserved for you suffer the marriage supper of the Lamb either enjoyed along their and that will be more like home than anything you ever experienced on earth.

So we thank the Holy Spirit we yield to the Holy Spirit. We asked the Holy Spirit for help and we look forward to the weeks ahead as we study these things in. So we've looked at the Holy Spirit in the believer today. Next time pastor Don Greene will begin a study of the Holy Spirit and the church today as he continues are important series on the Holy Spirit. You're on the truth pulpit will done.

It may seem a fine point looking at the Holy Spirit vis-à-vis the believer versus the larger church. But what are the important distinctions at play. That's a great question Bill, thank you. You know my friend. When Jesus Christ saves us he brings us into his body. He saves us along with others and designs us to to be a part of a functioning body together in a local church. We share the Holy Spirit with other believers.

He is not our exclusive possession and so the spirit works in relationships within the church and will see next time, how he empowers, instructs and unites us as he does. Thanks God and friend visit the truth. Pulpit.com to get free copies of this series, plus so much more. Again, we invite you to visit the truth. Pulpit.com by Bill inviting you that next time on the truth pulpit as Don Greene continues teaching God's people