Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
from the 3ABN Worship Center.
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Unknown God with
David Asscherick.
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Well, this has been
such a tremendous series.
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We're down to part number five,
which is the last presentation
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by David Asscherick.
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And I want you to know
that those that are here...
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And we have a very good
attendance here this afternoon,
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and a fantastic
attendance again this morning.
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...that we have really been
blessed by these presentations.
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I'm just amazed at how
God works when years back,
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when we would think about people
like John Carter and Kenneth Cox
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and Mark Finley, I
often wondered to myself,
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how will God ever
replace these individuals.
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And before then there
had been H.M.S. Richards
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and George
Vandeman, and many others.
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God always has a way.
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And the amazing thing to
me is that He reached down
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and found a man by
the name of Danny Shelton
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and started a
network by the name of 3ABN.
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And that was an
unbelievable move.
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We are just
overwhelmed by how we have seen
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God's leading at 3ABN.
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But then He also needed
speakers for that network.
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And He reached down and He
touched people like Ty Gibson,
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who had no background
whatsoever with this message
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through family or any other way.
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James Rafferty, Shawn
Boonstra, John Bradshaw.
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If you know anything
about these stories, you know
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that these men were
not raised in this message
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or anywhere near this message.
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And He reached down and
He found a young man by the
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name of David Asscherick.
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Just as verily as He reached
out and touched the apostle Paul
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and called him, He
has called these young men
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to continue preaching
this message in the last days.
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And there are a lot of others,
there are a lot of others.
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But I just mention these because
to me it's a great encouragement
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that God's message is
going to go forward with power
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even after many of
us pass off the scene,
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if He hasn't
returned by that time.
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What an encouragement that is.
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And God has reached out,
found people that really didn't
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come through the system at all,
reached out and touched them
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and called them
and equipped them,
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and is blessing
them, their ministry.
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And that is exciting to me.
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So we're looking forward
to this last presentation,
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Really
Understanding the Unknown God.
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And we'll never fully
understand Him, but as we study
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more and more, we get a better
picture of the God who loves us.
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Just before Pastor
Asscherick comes to speak,
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we're going to ask Yvonne Lewis,
Dr. Lewis, who's our manager of
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Dare To Dream, our new
network, to come and sing for us
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the song, Wonderful.
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I heard He walked on water
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and opened blinded eyes.
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The deaf where
made to hear again
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and the dead
were called to rise.
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Oh, but when I
gave Him all my heart
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a greater thing took place.
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The Lord of every miracle
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redeemed me by His grace.
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Wonders never cease
as long as I believe
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and place my life
within the nail-scarred hands
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that bled for me.
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And when I think
I've seen His best
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I stand amazed to see,
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His glory never ends
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and wonders never cease.
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He still walks on water
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to calm my troubled seas.
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And in the midst of thunder
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I can hear Him speaking "Peace!"
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And though some
believe His miracles
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were just part of yesterday,
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oh, I'm living
proof His changing power
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will never pass away.
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And wonders never
cease as long as I believe
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and I place my life
within the nail-scarred hands
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that bled for me.
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And when I think
I've seen His best
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I stand amazed to see,
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His glory never ends.
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Wonders never cease
as long as I believe
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and I place my life
within the nail-scarred hands
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that bled for me.
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And when I think
I've seen His best
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I stand amazed to see,
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His glory never ends
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and wonders never cease.
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Oh, His glory never ends
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and wonders never cease.
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Amen, thank you so
much. Beautiful, amen.
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Alright, I have a suspicion that
some of you are feeling tired
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because you ate too much.
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Is that possible?
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Yeah, listen. Let me tell you.
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It's against my personal
policy for anyone to fall asleep
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while I'm speaking.
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So don't test my
own personal policy.
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And for the viewers
out there, don't do it.
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Don't fall asleep on me.
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Because what we're going to
be talking about here in our
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fifth and final
session is going to be awesome.
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Have we learned anything
in our first four sessions?
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A couple of things?
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I can just tell by your response
that you've eaten too much.
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"Yeah, yeah. We learned a lot.
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I learned not to eat two
helpings of mashed potatoes."
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No. Have we learned
anything about Scripture?
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Yeah, we certainly have.
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And in our fifth and
final session here on our
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Anchors Of Truth series...
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And I want to thank Jim
and the others here at 3ABN
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for inviting me to come.
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I've had a great
time here except for the
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part where I hit the deer.
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That was unplanned and not good.
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But this should be really
exciting, our final message,
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what we're going
to be looking at.
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And we're going to just continue
basically to explore and then
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bring to closure
this idea of the Spirit
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as God and as a person.
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We've set the table,
we've more than set the table.
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Now we're beginning
to partake of the meal.
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And we're going to bring
it now to its conclusion.
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Not that it's the conclusion of
everything that we could know,
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but the conclusion
of our series here.
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So let's just have a
quick prayer and then we'll get
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right into our time together.
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Father in heaven, what a
privilege and an honor it is
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for us to stand here, and as
has been so beautifully song,
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wonders never cease.
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Father, we put
our confidence in You.
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And because You are infinite,
because You are eternal,
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You are illimitable,
we will always wonder in
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amazement at You.
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And so Father, we pray now
that as we seek to continue to
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understand who You are and
what You are and Your character,
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Father we pray that You will
teach us, not just with the mind
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and the intellect, but
Father teach us in our hearts,
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teach us in our emotions.
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That we may not just
apprehend You, but that we may
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appreciate and love You.
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Father, be with us
now as we open Scripture.
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We would ask that
you will send the Spirit,
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who we're talking about,
to be not just in this room.
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That would not be
good enough, Father.
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We would ask that, in keeping
with the promise of Jesus,
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that You would send
the Spirit to be in us
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to guide us into all truth.
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That the Spirit that inspired
the text may now become the
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Spirit that
instructs in the text.
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This is our
prayer in Jesus' name.
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Let everyone say, amen.
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Okay now, I'm just
going to pick up...
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Is it okay if I just pick
up right where we left off?
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I mean, it was just like two
hours ago so we should be fine.
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We just had two hours and a
few helpings of mashed potatoes
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between us and what we
were just talking about.
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And our very last
thing that we talked about
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was the relationship
that is very similar from the
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Spirit to Jesus that
Jesus has to the Father.
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Right?
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The Bible says, "In
the beginning was the Word,
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and the Word with
God, and the Word was God."
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And so from this passage,
as well as Revelation 19,
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we get this idea that Jesus
is called, the Word of God.
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Are we comfortable
with that, everyone?
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He's the Logos.
He's the Word of God.
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And so that is one way
to describe the relationship
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between the Father, who
superintends the Godhead,
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and the Son; the
Father and the Son.
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The Son is the
word of the Father.
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But Jesus, speaking of another
Comforter that would come,
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another Comforter, He
says that He would not speak
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His own words, but He
would bring to remembrance
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and recollection His words.
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That He would glorify
Him, and that He would bring
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all things to remembrance
that Jesus had spoken.
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And so here, Jesus, who also
said, "The words that I speak
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unto you, they are
spirit and they are life,"
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we find that it's as if the
word of Jesus is the Spirit.
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So the word of
the Father is the Son,
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and the word of
the Son is the Spirit.
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Each one, as we
discussed in our last session,
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deferring to the other.
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The Son pointing the direction
and the spotlight to...
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Or the Father
pointing the direction and
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the spotlight to the Son.
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The Son saying, "No, no,
no. It's about the Father."
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And the Spirit saying,
"No, it's about the Son."
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To which the Son
replies, "No, it's the Father."
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There's this
humility within the Godhead.
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Amen?
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Now we spent a fairly
significant amount of time
00:12:28.95\00:12:31.33
in John chapter 14 and
we noted several things.
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First of all, that
Jesus attributes elements
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and activities to the Spirit
that only a person can do.
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He will guide, He will teach,
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He will
instruct, He will reveal.
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That's the kind of thing
that a person does; number one.
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Number two; He refers to Him
with the masculine pronoun "He."
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What the pronoun,
everyone? He. Okay.
00:12:49.48\00:12:51.69
And the third thing that I
thought was quite fascinating
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is that Jesus says, "I will
send you another Comforter."
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Another Comforter.
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Now you remember
the illustration with me
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and JD and Shelley.
00:13:01.34\00:13:03.24
As we're eating
lunch, I request another...
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Do you remember what it was?
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...sandwich.
00:13:06.59\00:13:07.66
What do you know by definition?
00:13:07.67\00:13:08.95
There was a first sandwich.
00:13:09.62\00:13:11.24
So if Jesus is saying, "I will
give you another Comforter."
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The question is, who
was the first Comforter?
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Who was the first one
that the word literally means
00:13:17.47\00:13:19.38
parakletos; one
that stands beside?
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Who was the first one that
stood beside the disciples?
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Jesus.
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And He says, "I'm going away,
but I will send you another
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Person to stand beside you."
00:13:28.12\00:13:30.09
Remember the illustration
with the contractor?
00:13:30.57\00:13:32.76
Right?
00:13:32.77\00:13:33.77
I've got the job half way done,
the addition on your house.
00:13:33.78\00:13:36.27
I'm leaving but I will
send you another contractor.
00:13:36.30\00:13:40.51
And only a person could take the
place left vacant by a person.
00:13:40.54\00:13:44.55
Does that make sense?
00:13:44.58\00:13:45.59
In what sense could electricity
or gravity or electromagnetism
00:13:45.89\00:13:49.14
take the place that was
left vacant by a person?
00:13:49.17\00:13:51.41
It can't be.
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Jesus is referred
to as the Parakletos in
00:13:52.63\00:13:55.54
1 John chapter 2 verse 1 where
he says, "My little children,
00:13:55.57\00:13:57.88
these things I write
unto you that you sin not.
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And if any man sins, we have
an Advocate with the Father,"
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a Parakletos with the Father,
"Jesus Christ the righteous."
00:14:01.42\00:14:04.80
So when Jesus then says, "I'm
going to send you another Person
00:14:04.83\00:14:07.33
to stand beside
you," another Parakletos,
00:14:07.36\00:14:09.08
they're looking for a person.
00:14:09.09\00:14:11.13
Now I need to
say something here.
00:14:11.16\00:14:12.68
We sometimes mistakenly
assume that personhood
00:14:13.66\00:14:17.90
means physicality.
00:14:17.93\00:14:19.45
Right? We think, "Oh, person."
00:14:20.03\00:14:22.16
Toes and feet and
knees and legs and a body.
00:14:22.19\00:14:25.62
No, no, no, no, no.
00:14:25.95\00:14:27.00
Personhood is not
necessarily tied to physicality.
00:14:27.74\00:14:31.92
I've had people
actually say to me, "Well David,
00:14:31.95\00:14:34.18
that doesn't make any sense.
00:14:34.21\00:14:35.50
How can the Holy
Spirit be a person?
00:14:35.53\00:14:37.40
The Holy Spirit is a spirit."
00:14:37.43\00:14:39.63
I said, "Well, wait a minute.
00:14:39.71\00:14:40.71
I didn't say the
Holy Spirit was a human.
00:14:40.72\00:14:43.01
I said the Holy
Spirit was a person."
00:14:43.04\00:14:45.05
By the way, if we have a
problem with the Holy Spirit
00:14:45.08\00:14:47.72
being a person...
00:14:47.73\00:14:48.73
Remember what Jesus
said to the woman when He was
00:14:48.74\00:14:50.84
sitting there at the well.
00:14:50.85\00:14:51.85
He said, "God is a Spirit."
00:14:51.87\00:14:55.53
So if God is a
Spirit, is God a person?
00:14:55.81\00:14:59.74
Yes or no?
00:15:00.32\00:15:01.46
Okay, so the Father is a Spirit.
00:15:01.49\00:15:02.97
By the way, in 1
Corinthians chapter 15...
00:15:03.07\00:15:04.83
You might want to
just make note of that.
00:15:04.86\00:15:06.06
1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul
says that Jesus is a spirit.
00:15:06.09\00:15:09.66
He calls Him a
"quickening spirit."
00:15:09.69\00:15:11.62
And so look at what you have.
00:15:12.02\00:15:13.16
The Holy Spirit
obviously a Spirit.
00:15:13.19\00:15:15.08
God the Father;
Spirit. Jesus; Spirit.
00:15:15.11\00:15:18.68
So this idea of personhood, when
we talk about the Holy Spirit
00:15:19.32\00:15:22.38
as a person, what
we're saying is this.
00:15:22.41\00:15:24.04
The Holy Spirit
possesses volitionality,
00:15:24.07\00:15:28.49
He possesses personality,
He possesses a will,
00:15:28.52\00:15:31.70
He possesses
intelligence, etcetera.
00:15:31.73\00:15:33.65
We're going to
see that right now.
00:15:33.68\00:15:34.80
Personhood is not
necessarily tied to physicality.
00:15:35.02\00:15:37.89
And there's many
ways to demonstrate this.
00:15:37.90\00:15:39.17
I'll just give you
a very quick one here.
00:15:39.20\00:15:40.73
If I was involved in a
car accident, heaven forbid,
00:15:40.76\00:15:43.50
and I had to have
my right arm removed.
00:15:43.53\00:15:46.57
Okay? Like that.
00:15:46.60\00:15:47.81
Say, I became an amputee.
00:15:47.84\00:15:49.69
Am I now less of a person now
that I've had my arm removed?
00:15:50.15\00:15:54.98
Am I less of a person?
00:15:54.99\00:15:56.05
Is that how we treat amputee's?
00:15:56.25\00:15:57.70
We say, "Oh, well
he's only half a person."
00:15:57.71\00:15:59.31
No. They're still people.
00:16:00.17\00:16:01.38
Now what if I lost my
other arm in an accident?
00:16:01.41\00:16:04.14
Am I less a person
now than I was before?
00:16:04.15\00:16:06.53
You Say, "Oh, well
David use to be a person,
00:16:06.83\00:16:08.40
but now he's half a person."
00:16:08.43\00:16:09.73
No, no, no, no, no.
00:16:09.76\00:16:10.85
The reality is that
my personhood is tied to
00:16:10.88\00:16:14.29
my individuality, my identity,
my character, my volition,
00:16:14.32\00:16:17.44
my will, my memory, my
hopes, my dreams, etcetera.
00:16:17.47\00:16:20.40
It's not tied to my
fingers, my arm, my legs.
00:16:20.41\00:16:24.33
So personhood is not
absolutely tied to physicality.
00:16:24.63\00:16:28.78
When we say that the
Holy Spirit is a person,
00:16:28.79\00:16:30.63
we're simply saying
that He possesses volition,
00:16:30.66\00:16:32.92
that He
possesses intentionality,
00:16:32.95\00:16:34.25
that He possesses intelligence,
that He possesses a will, etc.
00:16:34.28\00:16:37.44
So far so good, everyone?
00:16:37.47\00:16:38.74
Now with that sort of in mind,
what I'd like to do at this
00:16:39.35\00:16:41.47
point is just read a
great statement here,
00:16:41.50\00:16:43.87
sort of a cautioning
statement as we commence,
00:16:44.17\00:16:47.28
from a great book
called, Acts Of The Apostles,
00:16:47.31\00:16:49.83
pages 51 and 52.
00:16:49.84\00:16:51.43
This is a nice little
caution as we commence with our
00:16:51.46\00:16:54.61
fifth and final
presentation here.
00:16:54.64\00:16:56.18
Okay, this is a great cautionary
statement for us, because
00:17:31.32\00:17:35.59
what it basically does is it
takes us right up to the edge
00:17:35.62\00:17:38.62
of that sea and it says,
here's what you can know.
00:17:38.63\00:17:42.44
And beyond what you can
know, don't make conjectures.
00:17:42.47\00:17:45.51
Don't guess, don't put out
idle theories or idle ideas
00:17:45.54\00:17:49.02
or imaginings of
what the Spirit is.
00:17:49.05\00:17:52.30
No. What we know about the
Spirit is that He is a person.
00:17:52.33\00:17:55.66
We're going to see
that in just a second.
00:17:55.67\00:17:57.08
That He is God.
00:17:57.09\00:17:58.25
We're going to see
that in just a second.
00:17:58.28\00:17:59.51
But to try and figure out
precisely what His ontology is..
00:17:59.54\00:18:03.64
That ontology means, His being.
00:18:03.67\00:18:05.35
What exactly is He?
00:18:05.38\00:18:06.83
Does He have a
shape? Does He have a form?
00:18:06.86\00:18:08.40
We should only affirm what
Scripture says, and not try to
00:18:09.63\00:18:12.67
conjecture and imagine on
what Scripture does not say.
00:18:12.70\00:18:15.62
Are you with me on that?
00:18:15.65\00:18:16.90
The church is not
benefitted by that.
00:18:16.91\00:18:18.75
The Spirit is a mystery.
00:18:18.78\00:18:20.20
Now that shouldn't come as
too much of a surprise to us.
00:18:20.23\00:18:22.50
Because as we've already
seen, God Himself is a mystery.
00:18:22.53\00:18:26.55
Amen?
00:18:27.32\00:18:28.36
I mean, we saw that.
00:18:28.38\00:18:29.38
"Without controversy..." 1
Timothy chapter 3 verse 16.
00:18:29.39\00:18:32.16
"Without controversy..."
00:18:32.19\00:18:34.29
Some translations say,
"By common confession."
00:18:34.59\00:18:37.41
"...great is the..."
What? "...mystery of godliness."
00:18:37.44\00:18:42.35
So it should not strike
us at all as surprising that
00:18:42.38\00:18:46.09
the Spirit is mysterious.
00:18:46.12\00:18:48.15
Because God is mysterious,
and Jesus is mysterious,
00:18:48.18\00:18:51.13
and the
incarnation is mysterious.
00:18:51.16\00:18:52.72
And it's a mystery.
00:18:52.75\00:18:54.45
Now can we know
some things about God?
00:18:54.69\00:18:57.26
Yes or no.
00:18:57.29\00:18:58.38
Yeah, the things
that He has revealed.
00:18:58.58\00:19:00.09
This is precisely how,
by the way, the unknown God
00:19:00.49\00:19:03.52
becomes the known God.
00:19:03.55\00:19:05.13
The unknown God
becomes the known God to us
00:19:05.43\00:19:08.57
when we see what He
has revealed about Himself.
00:19:08.60\00:19:11.39
This is the way
I like to say it.
00:19:11.42\00:19:12.59
If God decided to play hide
and seek, you couldn't find Him.
00:19:12.79\00:19:16.61
If God just decided that
He was going to make Himself
00:19:17.63\00:19:20.57
perfectly ineffably
impenetrably known...
00:19:20.60\00:19:23.83
In other words, you
could not access him.
00:19:23.86\00:19:25.99
...you would know
nothing about Him.
00:19:26.02\00:19:27.91
The only thing that we know
about God is what He Himself
00:19:27.94\00:19:32.07
has disclosed to us in Scripture
and in the created order.
00:19:32.10\00:19:35.90
Are you with me on that?
00:19:35.93\00:19:37.25
So we're going to stand
on those things right here
00:19:37.28\00:19:39.65
on the edge of the sea shore.
00:19:39.68\00:19:40.81
And we're going to rejoice
in all of what we do know.
00:19:40.84\00:19:43.38
Amen?
00:19:43.78\00:19:44.78
And we're not
going to conjecture
00:19:44.79\00:19:46.03
about what we don't know.
00:19:46.04\00:19:47.04
One final word.
00:19:47.05\00:19:48.06
When we talk about the things
that we don't know about God,
00:19:48.97\00:19:52.30
all of that sea shore that's
out there, please understand
00:19:52.33\00:19:55.98
very distinctly that
what we are talking about
00:19:56.01\00:20:00.53
is God's nature.
00:20:00.56\00:20:02.40
It's God's nature
that is unknown to us.
00:20:02.77\00:20:05.58
God's character is
very well known to us.
00:20:05.61\00:20:09.13
That has been
disclosed in the life, death,
00:20:09.44\00:20:11.14
and resurrection of Jesus.
00:20:11.15\00:20:12.15
So when we talk about
God, we know a great deal
00:20:12.16\00:20:15.30
about His character.
00:20:15.31\00:20:16.31
Amen? "God is love."
00:20:16.32\00:20:17.91
"For God so loved the
world..." Etcetera, etcetera.
00:20:17.94\00:20:19.95
It's His nature
that we should...
00:20:19.98\00:20:22.10
We should sort of
come up to that question
00:20:22.12\00:20:24.41
of the nature of God.
00:20:24.44\00:20:25.47
We should take off our
shoes and we should say,
00:20:25.67\00:20:27.95
"We're standing on holy ground."
00:20:27.96\00:20:29.39
Because of the limits of
human language and the limits of
00:20:29.43\00:20:31.55
human intellect, we really
are only babbling like babies
00:20:31.58\00:20:35.45
when we're doing our very best.
00:20:35.48\00:20:37.05
But when it comes to
the character of God,
00:20:37.08\00:20:39.05
we know exactly what the
character of God is like.
00:20:39.08\00:20:41.50
Because Jesus came and
revealed to us who God is.
00:20:41.53\00:20:45.16
Amen?
00:20:45.19\00:20:46.27
Okay, now with that in mind,
go with me to the book of Acts.
00:20:46.30\00:20:49.25
Let's spend some
time in the book of Acts.
00:20:49.28\00:20:51.32
You might be saying,
"Okay, why the book of Acts?"
00:20:51.35\00:20:52.77
Simple.
00:20:52.80\00:20:53.96
I'm going to say this, and
I think you'll get it here.
00:20:54.78\00:20:56.53
Pentecost is to the Holy Spirit
what Bethlehem was to Jesus.
00:20:56.56\00:21:01.70
You got that?
00:21:03.15\00:21:04.15
Pentecost is to the Holy Spirit
what Bethlehem was to Jesus.
00:21:04.16\00:21:07.47
If you were to pick up the
biography of the life of Christ,
00:21:07.77\00:21:11.55
say you were to walk up
and there was a biography on
00:21:11.56\00:21:13.47
the life of Christ, where likely
would that biography begin?
00:21:13.50\00:21:17.46
All the
synoptics begin this way.
00:21:18.86\00:21:21.82
Matthew, Mark,
Luke all begin this way.
00:21:21.85\00:21:24.34
John begins even further back,
"In the beginning was the Word."
00:21:24.37\00:21:27.46
He goes back.
00:21:27.47\00:21:28.47
But for the most part, a
biography on the life of Christ
00:21:28.48\00:21:31.86
is going to start right
where the synoptics start.
00:21:31.89\00:21:33.61
They're going to start in
and around Bethlehem's manger.
00:21:33.64\00:21:36.68
That just makes sense.
00:21:36.71\00:21:37.75
If you were going to write a
biography on David Asscherick,
00:21:37.78\00:21:39.56
it would begin in Cheyenne,
Wyoming, August 16, 1972.
00:21:39.59\00:21:42.54
So to with the Spirit.
00:21:43.11\00:21:44.74
Somebody says, "Well there's the
Spirit in the Old Testament."
00:21:45.15\00:21:48.63
And yes, the Spirit is there.
00:21:48.73\00:21:50.29
Bu the Spirit is far more
common and far more frequently
00:21:50.49\00:21:55.51
spoken of and more explicitly
spoken of in the New Testament.
00:21:55.52\00:21:58.11
And it really begins
on the day of Pentecost.
00:21:58.14\00:22:00.82
And so I'll say it again.
00:22:00.83\00:22:01.83
What Bethlehem was to Jesus,
Pentecost was to the Spirit.
00:22:01.85\00:22:05.59
In fact, when you actually go
through the whole Old Testament,
00:22:05.88\00:22:08.64
the word "spirit"
occurs just 88 times.
00:22:08.65\00:22:11.83
88 times in the Old
Testament is the word "spirit."
00:22:12.43\00:22:15.86
Right? The Hebrew
equivalent, ruach.
00:22:15.89\00:22:17.99
And when you come to the
New Testament, which is about
00:22:18.00\00:22:20.17
one third to one
quarter as long, the word
00:22:20.20\00:22:22.80
"spirit" occurs 262 times.
00:22:22.83\00:22:25.75
Right?
00:22:25.76\00:22:26.78
So roughly 3 to 4 times
as often in a book that's
00:22:26.79\00:22:31.41
3 to 4 times as small, a section
that's 3 to 4 times as small.
00:22:31.44\00:22:35.17
So basically what you have
is, the Spirit is spoken of
00:22:35.20\00:22:37.82
ten times more
often in the New Testament
00:22:37.85\00:22:40.71
than in the Old Testament.
00:22:40.74\00:22:41.76
The reason for that is,
that it was at Pentecost...
00:22:41.79\00:22:45.10
And this is
fascinating, by the way.
00:22:45.13\00:22:46.71
It was at Pentecost
that the Holy Spirit came
00:22:46.74\00:22:49.22
in all of His fullness.
00:22:49.25\00:22:51.19
In all of His... What
word did I say, everyone?
00:22:52.05\00:22:53.78
Now this is awesome.
00:22:54.08\00:22:55.34
The Jews believed...
00:22:55.98\00:22:57.24
And you can make a reasonable
biblical case for this as well.
00:22:57.27\00:23:01.04
The Jews believed that the law
was given from Mt. Sinai summit
00:23:01.30\00:23:05.91
when God wrote on tablets
of stone with His own finger.
00:23:05.94\00:23:08.92
Do you know what day
they say that happened?
00:23:08.95\00:23:11.08
Pentecost.
00:23:11.82\00:23:13.15
The Jews believe that it
was on the day of Pentecost
00:23:13.18\00:23:16.52
that the law was given on Sinai.
00:23:16.55\00:23:18.53
Right? It's very interesting.
00:23:18.56\00:23:20.02
Now think this through.
00:23:20.03\00:23:21.03
If that's accurate... And
I think it is incidentally.
00:23:21.04\00:23:23.21
If that's accurate, look at what
happens on the day of Pentecost
00:23:23.24\00:23:26.40
in the New
Testament in Acts chapter 2.
00:23:26.41\00:23:28.70
The Holy Spirit comes
on the day of Pentecost
00:23:29.15\00:23:32.87
and His primary purpose...
00:23:32.90\00:23:34.90
We'll talk about
this in just a bit.
00:23:34.93\00:23:36.22
...is to write His law,
the law of God, not on cold
00:23:36.25\00:23:42.12
tables of stone, but on the
fleshly tables of our heart.
00:23:42.15\00:23:46.29
So you can make a very
powerful similarity here
00:23:46.32\00:23:49.28
between Pentecost in
the Old Testament where the
00:23:49.31\00:23:51.09
law was given and
Pentecost in the New Testament
00:23:51.10\00:23:53.92
where the Spirit is given, who
writes His law upon our hearts.
00:23:53.95\00:23:57.42
Are you with me on that?
00:23:57.45\00:23:58.68
Awesome stuff.
Absolutely awesome.
00:23:58.71\00:24:00.62
Now, when we go to the
book of Acts, which in many ways
00:24:00.82\00:24:03.85
is to the Spirit...
00:24:04.25\00:24:05.92
It's the actions of the Spirit.
00:24:05.94\00:24:07.42
It's the acts of the
Spirit through the church.
00:24:07.49\00:24:10.90
...acts is to the Spirit
what Matthew, Mark, Luke,
00:24:10.93\00:24:13.42
and John are to Jesus.
00:24:13.44\00:24:15.32
This is the story of the Spirit.
00:24:15.35\00:24:17.56
And when we get there,
we're just going to start in
00:24:17.85\00:24:19.76
Acts chapter 5.
00:24:19.78\00:24:21.42
And we'll start here in verse 1.
00:24:22.47\00:24:24.60
We've just mentioned here
Acts chapter 2, but I kind of
00:24:24.63\00:24:26.93
want to walk
several passages here.
00:24:26.94\00:24:28.76
And I want to get
all of this data in.
00:24:28.79\00:24:31.24
So we're going to move,
not fast, but we will move
00:24:31.27\00:24:33.68
probably swiftly.
00:24:33.71\00:24:34.88
Acts chapter 5
beginning in verse 1, it says,
00:24:35.67\00:24:37.22
"But a certain man named..."
What's his name, everyone?
00:24:37.25\00:24:39.69
"...Ananias, with Sapphira
his wife, sold a possession.
00:24:40.04\00:24:42.83
And he kept back part of
the proceeds, his wife also
00:24:42.84\00:24:45.58
being aware of it, and
brought a certain part and
00:24:45.61\00:24:47.87
laid it at the apostle's feet.
00:24:47.90\00:24:48.96
But Peter said, 'Ananias, why
has Satan filled your heart...'"
00:24:48.99\00:24:53.10
Now watch this.
00:24:53.13\00:24:54.16
"...to lie to the..." Who?
00:24:54.19\00:24:57.02
"...to lie to the Holy
Spirit and keep back part of the
00:24:57.72\00:25:01.17
price of the land for yourself?
00:25:01.20\00:25:03.51
While it remained,
was it not your own?
00:25:03.54\00:25:05.57
And after it was sold, was
it not in your own control?
00:25:05.60\00:25:08.09
Why have you conceived
this thing in your heart?"
00:25:09.34\00:25:12.34
Now look at this.
00:25:12.35\00:25:13.35
"You have not lied
to men but to..." Who?
00:25:13.36\00:25:16.84
"You have not lied to men
but to you have lied to God."
00:25:18.49\00:25:20.36
So in one verse, Peter says...
00:25:20.67\00:25:22.82
In one section here, he says,
"You have lied to the Spirit."
00:25:22.83\00:25:26.45
And then immediately after that
he says, "You lied to..." What?
00:25:26.56\00:25:29.18
"...to God."
00:25:29.19\00:25:30.19
What does this tell
us about the Spirit?
00:25:31.07\00:25:32.63
If you've lied to the
Spirit and you've lied to God,
00:25:32.66\00:25:35.04
what is the Spirit?
00:25:35.05\00:25:36.15
Yeah, the most reasonable
conclusion that you would
00:25:36.65\00:25:38.99
come to based on this passage
is that the Spirit is God.
00:25:39.00\00:25:42.56
Peter understood this.
00:25:42.89\00:25:44.21
It was coming clear to him
now, after the day of Pentecost,
00:25:44.51\00:25:46.99
when Jesus had said, "I
will send you another Comforter
00:25:47.02\00:25:49.31
that He may abide forever.
00:25:49.32\00:25:50.57
Go to Jerusalem and wait
for the promise of My Father
00:25:50.60\00:25:52.81
whom I will send from Him."
00:25:52.84\00:25:54.77
So they go to
Jerusalem and they're waiting.
00:25:54.78\00:25:56.45
They didn't fully understand
exactly what was going to come.
00:25:56.48\00:25:58.70
Who knows, maybe they thought
another person was going to
00:25:58.73\00:26:00.73
come walking in the
door and say, "Hey, guys.
00:26:00.76\00:26:02.17
I'm here. I'm the..."
00:26:02.18\00:26:03.78
But that's not what happened.
00:26:03.80\00:26:04.80
On the day of Pentecost
when the Spirit came down,
00:26:04.83\00:26:07.43
it wasn't just a
power, it wasn't just a force,
00:26:07.46\00:26:09.69
it wasn't just an effervescence,
or an electromagnetism.
00:26:09.72\00:26:12.37
What came down, and
they recognized it, was the
00:26:12.40\00:26:14.97
third Person of the Godhead.
00:26:15.00\00:26:17.31
This was God Himself who
was coming, not cumbered with
00:26:17.34\00:26:21.28
humanity, but in all
the fullness who lived
00:26:21.31\00:26:24.65
not just beside
them as Jesus had.
00:26:24.68\00:26:26.46
He had walked with them
and He had talked with them.
00:26:26.49\00:26:27.94
He had spent time with them.
00:26:27.95\00:26:28.98
But the Spirit
actually came inside of them.
00:26:29.18\00:26:32.05
And they recognized,
this is God in the flesh.
00:26:32.08\00:26:34.98
This is God's
representative on earth.
00:26:34.99\00:26:37.91
In fact, just a statement
on that, fascinating here.
00:26:38.67\00:26:40.78
This is another
great statement here.
00:26:40.81\00:26:44.69
Desire Of Ages,
page 671. Listen to this.
00:26:44.72\00:26:47.34
Speaking of this very
moment, this very event.
00:26:47.67\00:26:50.44
Now friends, I
only speak one language.
00:27:23.04\00:27:24.93
And that's the English language.
00:27:24.96\00:27:26.12
They say that if can speak three
languages you're trilingual.
00:27:26.15\00:27:28.58
Two languages, you're bilingual.
00:27:28.61\00:27:29.82
One language, you're white and
you're from the United States.
00:27:29.85\00:27:32.69
So that's me, one
language. I've only got one.
00:27:32.72\00:27:35.38
So if I can't get it right
with this language, I'm stuck.
00:27:35.41\00:27:39.02
I can't resort to my
Spanish or resort to my Romanian
00:27:39.05\00:27:42.30
or to my Swahili.
00:27:42.31\00:27:43.32
This is the only arrow
in my quiver, is English.
00:27:43.33\00:27:46.18
Are you with me on that?
00:27:46.21\00:27:47.22
If language means anything,
third Person means third Person.
00:27:47.66\00:27:55.26
Are you with me on that?
00:27:55.72\00:27:56.73
I mean if language has meaning,
third, as in one, two, three...
00:27:56.76\00:28:01.23
Okay, well who
would the first two be?
00:28:01.26\00:28:03.43
God the Father, God
the Son. And now what?
00:28:03.46\00:28:07.40
God the Spirit. Okay?
00:28:07.74\00:28:09.80
So here we have
third, and then Person.
00:28:09.83\00:28:13.10
Is God the Father a Person?
00:28:13.78\00:28:15.52
Okay, is Jesus a Person?
00:28:15.99\00:28:17.58
So what's the
Holy Spirit? A Person.
00:28:17.61\00:28:19.79
I just want to
rewind here briefly.
00:28:19.80\00:28:22.78
When we started back in
Genesis 1 four sessions ago,
00:28:22.81\00:28:25.63
we said that the Old
Testament is suggestive.
00:28:25.93\00:28:29.38
The Old Testament
is what, everyone?
00:28:29.71\00:28:31.22
There's hints, there's
elusions, there's suggestions.
00:28:31.58\00:28:34.10
We went to Genesis
1, Genesis 2, Genesis 3,
00:28:34.13\00:28:36.06
Genesis 11, Genesis 18 and 19.
00:28:36.09\00:28:38.13
We went to Isaiah 6, Isaiah
9, Numbers 6, and Deuteronomy 6.
00:28:38.16\00:28:42.05
All of these passages suggest.
00:28:42.35\00:28:45.15
Then we get to the New Testament
and what was implicit in the
00:28:45.57\00:28:49.16
Old Testament becomes
increasingly explicit in
00:28:49.17\00:28:51.35
the New Testament where Jesus
says, "I and My Father are..."
00:28:51.38\00:28:54.73
What? "...one."
00:28:54.75\00:28:55.76
So what we see is a
progressive revelation.
00:28:55.78\00:28:58.98
You might remember that.
00:28:58.99\00:28:59.99
The pulling back of the
cloth to progressively reveal.
00:29:00.00\00:29:03.47
But by the time we come down
here, by the time we get here
00:29:03.50\00:29:07.41
to Desire Of Ages, page
671, I mean the language is
00:29:07.44\00:29:10.94
just unmistakably clear.
00:29:10.97\00:29:12.83
"The third
Person of the Godhead."
00:29:12.86\00:29:16.08
So what was suggestive
and became increasingly clear
00:29:16.47\00:29:19.73
becomes explicitly.
00:29:19.76\00:29:21.13
In fact, I don't
want to be polemical here,
00:29:21.16\00:29:23.41
but I'm going to go out on
a limb and I'm going to say,
00:29:23.44\00:29:25.28
it becomes unmistakably clear.
00:29:25.31\00:29:28.23
Third Person of the Godhead.
00:29:28.71\00:29:30.97
Now I have met many well
meaning and well intentioned
00:29:31.00\00:29:33.08
people who say, "No, no, no, no.
00:29:33.11\00:29:34.56
There's no
Trinity. There's no...
00:29:34.59\00:29:36.23
That's just a pagan
Catholic... You know."
00:29:36.26\00:29:38.73
Well, wait a
minute. Wait a minute.
00:29:38.76\00:29:40.43
Forgive me for my naiveté.
00:29:40.63\00:29:43.25
But "third
Person of the Godhead."
00:29:43.28\00:29:45.78
If I stand before the
throne of God and He says,
00:29:45.81\00:29:47.43
"Oh, you've got that
Trinity thing all wrong.
00:29:47.45\00:29:49.10
How could you
possible have believed that?"
00:29:49.12\00:29:50.16
I could say, "Well, I
guess I was confused by that
00:29:50.17\00:29:52.85
one phrase there,
'third Person of the Godhead.'"
00:29:52.88\00:29:55.95
You tracking with me?
00:29:56.85\00:29:57.93
We serve a very reasonable
God who is very good at
00:29:57.96\00:30:00.97
communicating His ways.
00:30:00.98\00:30:03.10
Amen?
00:30:03.11\00:30:04.11
I mean, He's not
going to say "third Person"
00:30:04.12\00:30:06.34
when He really
means there's only one.
00:30:06.37\00:30:08.56
It just doesn't add up.
Are you tracking with me?
00:30:09.29\00:30:11.58
Third Person.
00:30:11.59\00:30:12.59
Now the great thing about
this is that in its larger
00:30:12.60\00:30:15.52
theological context,
that's exactly what we need.
00:30:15.54\00:30:19.12
We don't just need a force,
we don't just need a power,
00:30:19.15\00:30:21.26
we don't just
need an effervescence.
00:30:21.29\00:30:23.06
We need God Himself to
come into us to do for us
00:30:23.09\00:30:27.50
what we cannot do for ourselves.
00:30:27.51\00:30:29.26
And that's the second
part of the statement there;
00:30:29.29\00:30:31.29
that it is the job of
the Spirit to make effectual
00:30:31.32\00:30:35.23
what had been wrought
by the world's Redeemer.
00:30:35.26\00:30:37.53
So when Peter said,
"You've not lied to men,
00:30:37.56\00:30:39.98
you've lied to the Parakletos.
00:30:40.29\00:30:42.16
You've lied to the
one that Jesus sent.
00:30:42.19\00:30:44.24
You have lied to God Himself."
00:30:44.27\00:30:48.19
Now we're going to
stay in the book of Acts.
00:30:48.63\00:30:50.07
And go with me
to Acts chapter 15.
00:30:50.10\00:30:52.89
Stay in the book of
Acts, Acts chapter 15.
00:30:53.63\00:30:56.59
Very quickly here.
00:30:57.39\00:30:58.48
This is the burgeoning
blossoming New Testament church.
00:30:58.50\00:31:03.06
And they're all in a confused
kerfuffle about how to relate
00:31:03.09\00:31:09.26
to the Gentiles who
are coming into church.
00:31:09.29\00:31:12.04
And they don't know what to do.
00:31:12.07\00:31:13.94
And so they get together
and they pray, and they wrestle,
00:31:14.27\00:31:17.10
and they struggle, and
then they write a letter.
00:31:17.13\00:31:19.15
And I want you to hear part
of this letter that they write.
00:31:19.18\00:31:21.32
It's in verse 28.
00:31:21.33\00:31:22.68
Actually, we'll
pick it up in verse 27.
00:31:22.71\00:31:24.42
This is the church
writing, sending this letter
00:31:24.73\00:31:26.67
with Paul and Barnabas.
00:31:26.69\00:31:27.71
"We have therefore sent Judas
and Silas, who will also report
00:31:27.72\00:31:31.22
the same things
by word of mouth."
00:31:31.25\00:31:32.76
Verse 28, "For it
seemed good to..." Who?
00:31:32.79\00:31:37.39
"...it seemed good to the
Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay
00:31:38.34\00:31:40.81
upon you no greater burden
than these necessary things."
00:31:40.82\00:31:42.98
So think about that.
00:31:42.99\00:31:44.04
The church is saying, "Hey,
we thought this was a good idea.
00:31:44.24\00:31:46.77
And so did the Spirit."
00:31:46.78\00:31:48.05
Well the only kind of being that
can think and have good ideas
00:31:50.11\00:31:53.65
and imagine and have
opinions and perspectives
00:31:53.68\00:31:57.16
is a person.
00:31:57.17\00:31:58.20
Right? I can't say, "Hey piano,
what did you think about that
00:31:58.50\00:32:00.62
last song they played on you?
00:32:00.63\00:32:01.63
You weren't
feeling that, were you.
00:32:01.65\00:32:02.85
Come on, don't be so quiet.
Don't be bashful, go ahead."
00:32:03.60\00:32:05.64
It seemed good to
me and to the piano?
00:32:06.20\00:32:08.67
No. The moment you say it
seemed good to the Spirit,
00:32:08.70\00:32:11.71
you are attributing
personhood to the Spirit.
00:32:11.74\00:32:14.17
"It seemed good to
the Spirit, and to us."
00:32:14.55\00:32:16.95
The church recognizes
that the Spirit is not just a
00:32:16.98\00:32:20.73
power or an energy.
00:32:20.76\00:32:22.31
The Spirit is a person.
00:32:22.34\00:32:24.89
Now stay in Acts
and look at chapter 16.
00:32:24.92\00:32:27.51
Acts chapter 16 verse 6.
00:32:27.54\00:32:29.77
It says, "Now when they had
gone through Phrygia and the
00:32:30.78\00:32:33.83
region of Galatia, they were
forbidden by the Holy Spirit
00:32:33.84\00:32:37.67
to preach the word in Asia."
00:32:37.70\00:32:39.35
So the Holy Spirit
forbids, "Don't do that."
00:32:39.90\00:32:42.68
Verse 7, "After they had
come to Mysia, they tried to
00:32:42.71\00:32:45.85
go into Bithynia, but
the Spirit did not..." What?
00:32:45.88\00:32:48.28
"...permit them."
00:32:49.41\00:32:50.71
So, not only does it "seem
good to us and to the Spirit,"
00:32:51.18\00:32:54.15
but the Spirit also
forbids and the Spirit permits.
00:32:54.18\00:32:58.43
These are the kinds of
activities and characteristics
00:32:59.00\00:33:03.39
that are
attributable only to a person.
00:33:03.42\00:33:06.63
Now we're going to leave the
book of Acts, we may come back.
00:33:07.37\00:33:09.41
But go to 1
Corinthians chapter 12.
00:33:09.44\00:33:11.85
1 Corinthians chapter 12.
00:33:12.53\00:33:14.13
This is one of the
lists of the spiritual gifts
00:33:14.16\00:33:17.39
that we find in Scripture.
00:33:17.42\00:33:18.56
1 Corinthians chapter 12.
00:33:18.57\00:33:20.52
And I'm going to
read here in verse 1.
00:33:21.51\00:33:23.65
We've already looked at the
triadic passage over there in
00:33:24.43\00:33:26.95
verses 4, 5, and 6.
00:33:26.98\00:33:28.26
The same Spirit, the
same Lord, the same God.
00:33:28.82\00:33:31.44
And now look at verse
11 in 1 Corinthians 12.
00:33:31.47\00:33:34.03
It says, "But one and the same
Spirit works all these things,
00:33:34.33\00:33:38.99
distributing to each one
individually as He wills."
00:33:39.02\00:33:45.75
So notice what
the Spirit does here.
00:33:46.15\00:33:47.66
The Spirit distributes.
00:33:47.69\00:33:50.35
Okay, this is the kind
of activity that you would
00:33:50.62\00:33:53.39
expect of a person.
00:33:53.42\00:33:54.73
Not only does He distribute,
but Paul says that the Spirit
00:33:54.76\00:33:58.29
distributes the gifts to the
church according as He... What?
00:33:58.32\00:34:02.11
According as He wills.
00:34:02.51\00:34:04.97
And this is what we were
just talking about a moment ago
00:34:05.00\00:34:06.63
when we said that personhood
is not tied to physicality.
00:34:06.66\00:34:09.07
Personhood is
tied to volitionality.
00:34:09.42\00:34:11.81
Its tied to the possession
of will and intention.
00:34:11.82\00:34:15.75
And so it says here
that the Spirit gives
00:34:15.78\00:34:17.97
the gifts to who He wills.
00:34:18.00\00:34:19.49
And in the context of 1
Corinthians, it's because
00:34:19.53\00:34:21.02
the Corinthians thought,
"Oh, well I'll get this gift.
00:34:21.05\00:34:23.21
And I'll get this
gift and I'll be a prophet.
00:34:23.24\00:34:25.36
And I'll be a healer,
and I'll speak in tongues."
00:34:25.39\00:34:26.89
And Paul says, "No, no, no, no.
You don't make those decisions.
00:34:27.20\00:34:29.71
It's the Spirit who
gives the gifts to whomever
00:34:30.02\00:34:32.79
He wants to give them to."
00:34:32.82\00:34:35.38
Are you with me on that?
00:34:35.41\00:34:36.70
So the Spirit possesses will.
00:34:37.05\00:34:39.89
Quite obviously, this
is the very kind of thing
00:34:40.19\00:34:43.41
that a person would do.
00:34:43.44\00:34:44.51
The Spirit
possesses intentionality.
00:34:45.01\00:34:46.73
Now let's go to Luke, back
to the gospels, chapter 12.
00:34:46.76\00:34:52.48
We find another activity
that's attributed to the Spirit
00:34:52.51\00:34:55.68
that only a person could do.
00:34:56.87\00:34:59.06
Luke chapter 12.
00:35:00.05\00:35:01.19
This is an easy one to
remember because it's verse 12.
00:35:01.20\00:35:03.22
Luke 12:12
00:35:03.25\00:35:04.52
It says, "For the Holy
Spirit will teach you in that
00:35:05.45\00:35:09.48
very hour what
you ought to say."
00:35:09.49\00:35:12.22
Okay, who will teach us?
00:35:13.00\00:35:15.04
The Holy Spirit.
00:35:15.27\00:35:16.29
This is exactly what Jesus
had said in John 14, 15, and 16.
00:35:16.30\00:35:18.88
He will teach, He
will guide, He will reveal.
00:35:18.91\00:35:20.97
The Holy Spirit
Himself will teach you.
00:35:21.53\00:35:23.75
Notice, all of these
activities are being attributed
00:35:23.78\00:35:26.29
to the Spirit as
if He's a person.
00:35:26.30\00:35:28.79
Well why?
00:35:28.80\00:35:29.81
Because He is a person.
00:35:29.82\00:35:32.05
Amen?
00:35:32.08\00:35:33.43
Not just a power,
not just some force.
00:35:33.46\00:35:36.71
Not like Star Wars,
"May the force be with you."
00:35:36.74\00:35:39.49
No, may the third
Person of the Godhead,
00:35:39.52\00:35:42.91
the Parakletos
that Jesus spoke of,
00:35:42.94\00:35:45.34
may He be with you,
beside you, and inside of you.
00:35:45.35\00:35:49.26
Now here's where
things get very interesting.
00:35:51.23\00:35:52.92
The Holy Spirit can be grieved.
00:35:52.95\00:35:55.87
Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30.
00:35:55.88\00:35:58.24
Ephesians 4:30, notice this one.
00:35:59.20\00:36:01.58
It says, "And do not
grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
00:36:09.46\00:36:13.01
by whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption."
00:36:13.04\00:36:16.72
Don't grieve the Spirit.
00:36:17.77\00:36:19.89
Friends, I have a question.
00:36:21.03\00:36:22.73
Could I grieve this pulpit?
00:36:22.76\00:36:25.69
No. Could I grieve this piano?
00:36:26.68\00:36:28.58
You know, maybe I could.
00:36:29.29\00:36:31.21
If I sat down, I'd do my best.
00:36:32.42\00:36:33.93
But the point is that
even somebody who can't play,
00:36:33.94\00:36:36.52
somebody like me who's
got thumbs where there should
00:36:36.55\00:36:39.75
be fingers, I
can't grieve a piano.
00:36:39.78\00:36:42.57
I can't grieve a speaker.
00:36:43.15\00:36:45.38
I can't grieve a
pulpit or a chair.
00:36:45.41\00:36:48.07
Or any other inanimate thing.
00:36:48.08\00:36:49.78
But can you grieve a person?
00:36:49.81\00:36:51.90
Can I grieve my children?
00:36:52.11\00:36:53.66
Can I grieve my wife?
00:36:53.86\00:36:55.14
Can I grieve you?
00:36:55.48\00:36:56.78
Impossible, right?
00:36:57.10\00:36:58.66
So when it says, "don't
grieve the Spirit," here again
00:37:00.05\00:37:02.83
what do we find?
00:37:02.86\00:37:03.87
We find the New
Testament writers consistently
00:37:03.90\00:37:07.78
attributing to the
Spirit the attributes and
00:37:07.81\00:37:10.88
characteristics of a...
00:37:10.91\00:37:12.97
What word am I
going to say here?
00:37:13.01\00:37:14.30
...of a person.
00:37:14.60\00:37:15.66
Not only can the Spirit
be grieved, according to the
00:37:16.14\00:37:18.96
author of Hebrews,
join me there, Hebrews 10,
00:37:18.99\00:37:21.82
the Spirit can be insulted.
00:37:22.78\00:37:25.94
The Spirit can be insulted.
00:37:26.80\00:37:28.78
And I'm going to say
just a word on this here.
00:37:28.81\00:37:30.48
Hebrews chapter 10,
I'm reading verse 29.
00:37:31.35\00:37:34.93
Hebrews 10:29
00:37:34.96\00:37:36.32
It says, "Of how much worse
punishment, do you suppose,
00:37:37.94\00:37:41.11
will he be thought worthy
who has trampled the Son of God
00:37:41.14\00:37:44.93
underfoot, counted the
blood of the covenant with which
00:37:44.96\00:37:47.95
he was sanctified a
common thing, and insulted
00:37:47.98\00:37:51.69
the Spirit of grace?"
00:37:52.36\00:37:54.28
Insulted the
Spirit. Grieved the Spirit.
00:37:55.39\00:37:58.01
Now let me just
remind you of something here.
00:37:58.04\00:37:59.71
In Matthew chapter 12,
Jesus spoke about what we call,
00:37:59.74\00:38:02.51
the
unpardonable... What? ...sin.
00:38:02.54\00:38:05.49
Can you tell me, what did Jesus
say the unpardonable sin was?
00:38:05.52\00:38:08.60
Okay, very good.
00:38:11.57\00:38:12.62
Blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit.
00:38:12.65\00:38:14.66
Now think about that.
00:38:14.67\00:38:15.67
In the context of
Matthew 12, Jesus says
00:38:15.68\00:38:16.98
a very interesting thing.
00:38:17.08\00:38:18.08
He says, "Blasphemy
against the Son of Man
00:38:18.12\00:38:20.71
will be forgiven."
00:38:20.74\00:38:21.88
Okay? Now think about that.
00:38:22.40\00:38:23.79
Blasphemy against the Son of Man
is blasphemy against a person.
00:38:24.20\00:38:27.77
Okay? And He says
that can be forgiven.
00:38:28.42\00:38:30.32
But blasphemy against
the Spirit, He says, cannot
00:38:30.35\00:38:34.51
and will not be forgiven to men.
00:38:34.54\00:38:36.35
Now think about
this juxtaposition.
00:38:36.65\00:38:38.89
That's just a
fancy word that means,
00:38:38.92\00:38:40.19
setting two things
side by side; juxtaposition.
00:38:40.22\00:38:42.76
Okay.
00:38:42.79\00:38:43.94
Can you commit
blasphemy against Jesus?
00:38:44.16\00:38:47.54
Yes or no.
00:38:47.56\00:38:48.59
Can you? Can it be forgiven?
00:38:49.31\00:38:51.24
Okay, then the very
next thing Jesus says,
00:38:51.65\00:38:53.14
"But the sin that
cannot be forgiven is blasphemy
00:38:53.17\00:38:55.20
against the Holy Spirit."
00:38:55.23\00:38:57.67
Okay, so if this is
a sin against a person,
00:38:57.70\00:39:00.48
what does this sound like
it is when Jesus places it in
00:39:00.51\00:39:03.23
exact juxtaposition?
00:39:03.26\00:39:04.39
Does that sound like
it's a sin against a person?
00:39:04.67\00:39:07.72
And this is what Paul is
alluding to, and the author
00:39:07.75\00:39:09.37
of Hebrews is
alluding to when they say
00:39:09.40\00:39:11.50
don't grieve the
Spirit, don't insult the Spirit.
00:39:11.53\00:39:15.65
Don't insult the piano, David.
00:39:16.00\00:39:17.70
Don't insult that piano.
00:39:17.89\00:39:19.33
Don't grieve the pulpit, David.
00:39:19.49\00:39:21.39
Don't insult the speakers.
00:39:21.42\00:39:22.69
No, no, no, no.
00:39:22.70\00:39:23.72
The only thing that can
be grieved or insulted is
00:39:23.74\00:39:25.80
something that
possesses emotion, intelligence,
00:39:25.83\00:39:29.38
will, and volition.
00:39:29.41\00:39:31.05
That is to say, personhood.
00:39:31.08\00:39:32.89
Are you
tracking with me on that?
00:39:33.53\00:39:34.68
Is this making sense?
00:39:34.78\00:39:36.61
It's just clear as can be.
00:39:36.64\00:39:37.95
Well, not only can the Holy
Spirit be grieved and insulted,
00:39:38.52\00:39:41.26
the Holy Spirit loves.
00:39:41.29\00:39:44.76
Come with me to
Romans chapter 15.
00:39:44.77\00:39:48.77
I love this particular one here.
00:39:50.15\00:39:51.96
Romans chapter 15,
notice with me verse 30.
00:39:51.99\00:39:54.71
Romans 15 verse 30 says,
" Now I beg you, brethren,
00:39:56.87\00:40:01.52
through the Lord Jesus
Christ, and through the
00:40:01.55\00:40:05.06
love of the Spirit, that
you strive together with me
00:40:05.80\00:40:10.66
in prayers to God for me."
00:40:11.06\00:40:13.17
"The love of the Spirit."
00:40:13.91\00:40:16.17
The word "of" in the
English usually functions
00:40:16.90\00:40:19.63
in what we would
call, the possessive.
00:40:19.66\00:40:22.19
Right? If we say, for example,
"He is a man of talent,"
00:40:22.22\00:40:26.36
we mean that he's a
man that possesses talent.
00:40:26.97\00:40:29.57
If we say, "She's
a woman of wealth,"
00:40:29.87\00:40:32.18
we mean that she's a
woman that possesses wealth.
00:40:32.21\00:40:34.01
The word "of"
junctions as a possessive.
00:40:34.04\00:40:36.15
So here when it says,
"the love of the Spirit,"
00:40:36.18\00:40:39.08
it means the Spirit has love.
00:40:39.48\00:40:42.63
This is very similar to what
is communicated in a blessing
00:40:43.14\00:40:45.89
that we've already ready,
the Apostolic Benediction,
00:40:45.92\00:40:48.08
this is 2 Corinthians
13:14, where it speaks about the
00:40:48.11\00:40:52.35
fellowship of the
Spirit; the love of the Spirit.
00:40:52.38\00:40:56.89
Now that makes sense because
if someone can be insulted,
00:40:57.20\00:41:00.63
and someone can be grieved,
and someone can be blasphemed
00:41:00.66\00:41:03.68
and sinned against, that
must be someone that loves.
00:41:03.69\00:41:06.57
That must be someone
who has extended His hand
00:41:06.94\00:41:10.14
only to have that hand rejected.
00:41:10.15\00:41:11.66
And who has extended His hand
only to have that hand rejected.
00:41:11.69\00:41:14.23
And who has extended His
hand only to have that hand
00:41:14.26\00:41:16.29
rejected again and again.
00:41:16.32\00:41:17.58
We don't talk about the
love of the piano or the
00:41:18.64\00:41:20.57
love of the pulpit
or the love of your car.
00:41:20.60\00:41:22.91
Only a person can be
grieved and insulted.
00:41:23.74\00:41:26.09
And only a person
can genuinely love.
00:41:26.10\00:41:28.82
No wonder John would say
in just a few short books
00:41:28.85\00:41:32.65
away from this, God; Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, is...
00:41:32.66\00:41:37.19
What's our word?
00:41:37.20\00:41:38.37
God is love.
00:41:39.17\00:41:40.14
Now I want to take you to my two
favorites when it comes to this.
00:41:41.04\00:41:45.96
And they're both
in the book of Romans.
00:41:45.99\00:41:47.60
You're already there,
so go to Romans chapter 8.
00:41:47.63\00:41:49.91
To me, if all we had on
this subject was these passages,
00:41:50.48\00:41:58.05
we would have enough.
00:41:58.08\00:41:59.33
If all we had were these
passages, we would have enough.
00:41:59.64\00:42:01.90
And the first is Romans
chapter 8 beginning in verse 26.
00:42:01.91\00:42:07.46
Romans chapter 8 verse 26.
00:42:08.99\00:42:10.63
It says, "Likewise, the Spirit
also helps in our weaknesses.
00:42:11.77\00:42:17.47
For we do not know what we
should pray for as we ought to,
00:42:18.45\00:42:23.55
but the Spirit Himself
makes intercession for us
00:42:23.58\00:42:27.47
with groanings
which cannot be uttered.
00:42:27.50\00:42:30.02
Now He who searches the
hearts knows what the mind of
00:42:30.03\00:42:34.08
the Spirit is, because He makes
intercession for the saints
00:42:34.11\00:42:37.12
according to the will of God."
00:42:37.15\00:42:38.80
Two major things here.
00:42:39.12\00:42:41.93
First of all, is it clear to you
that according to this passage,
00:42:42.94\00:42:45.63
that the Spirit intercedes?
00:42:45.66\00:42:47.59
Okay, now wait a minute.
00:42:47.96\00:42:49.28
We've got to
think that one through.
00:42:49.31\00:42:50.87
What does the
word "intercede" mean?
00:42:52.06\00:42:54.00
Give me some
synonyms for "intercede."
00:42:54.03\00:42:56.04
Okay, stand in for.
00:42:57.03\00:42:58.50
Okay, nice and loud.
00:43:00.15\00:43:01.87
Okay, what is that?
00:43:02.98\00:43:04.35
Go between, very good.
00:43:04.65\00:43:06.16
Anybody else?
00:43:06.17\00:43:07.17
Mediate, very good. Okay.
00:43:07.49\00:43:08.78
You've got it.
00:43:08.79\00:43:09.79
Now let's take the
one there; go between.
00:43:09.80\00:43:12.51
Go between. Okay.
00:43:13.14\00:43:14.67
Go between what?
00:43:14.70\00:43:16.57
Exactly. Two parties.
00:43:18.16\00:43:20.55
Okay, now think this
through very carefully here.
00:43:20.90\00:43:22.99
In order to intercede, you have
to have party A and party B.
00:43:23.02\00:43:30.07
And then party C is interceding.
00:43:30.09\00:43:32.96
Is this making sense?
00:43:33.43\00:43:34.50
Now think that through.
00:43:34.53\00:43:35.53
If Paul here says, "The Spirit
Himself intercedes for us..."
00:43:35.54\00:43:40.69
There's one of the parties.
00:43:40.72\00:43:41.83
"...according to
the will of God..."
00:43:41.86\00:43:44.76
You've got your
three parties right there.
00:43:44.79\00:43:46.21
We the saints, and
God, as two of the parties.
00:43:46.97\00:43:50.39
Right here, number one
is God. Number two is us.
00:43:50.42\00:43:55.47
And the Spirit is
making intercession.
00:43:55.50\00:43:57.69
The only way that
anything can intercede
00:43:57.99\00:43:59.86
is if you have
two other parties.
00:43:59.89\00:44:01.47
See, some people say
the Spirit is not a person
00:44:01.50\00:44:04.70
in and of Himself.
00:44:04.71\00:44:05.71
The Spirit is just the
extension of the Father.
00:44:05.72\00:44:08.60
The Spirit is just the
personal presence of the Son.
00:44:08.63\00:44:11.37
Which sounds
reasonably persuasive at times.
00:44:11.77\00:44:15.16
But here's the problem with it.
00:44:15.19\00:44:16.46
There is a very real
sense, of course, in which
00:44:16.49\00:44:18.12
the Spirit is the
presence of the Father
00:44:18.15\00:44:20.26
and is the presence of the Son.
00:44:20.29\00:44:21.27
But they say He's just
the presence of the Father,
00:44:21.30\00:44:24.08
just the presence of the Son.
00:44:24.11\00:44:25.71
He doesn't not possess His
own individuated personhood.
00:44:25.74\00:44:29.01
But here's the problem.
00:44:29.04\00:44:30.12
Think about what this
verse would be saying then.
00:44:30.15\00:44:31.88
The Spirit, that is to
say the extension of God,
00:44:32.69\00:44:36.21
intercedes between God and us.
00:44:36.24\00:44:39.70
Well, wait a minute.
00:44:40.34\00:44:41.36
How is God the
Father interceding
00:44:41.37\00:44:44.59
with God the
Father on our behalf?
00:44:45.37\00:44:47.49
You see how that's confusing?
00:44:47.99\00:44:49.23
The only way you can have
intercession is if you have
00:44:49.51\00:44:51.27
party A, party B, and someone
who is interceding between.
00:44:51.30\00:44:57.10
Now on this very point here,
Ellen White is just so clear
00:44:57.63\00:45:03.56
and so profoundly encouraging.
00:45:03.59\00:45:07.89
I have to share
this statement with you.
00:45:07.92\00:45:09.92
I think it's
our final statement.
00:45:09.93\00:45:11.12
This is from the first volume
of the Selected Messages series,
00:45:12.02\00:45:15.09
page 344, listen to this.
00:45:15.12\00:45:16.80
Okay, so does Christ intercede?
00:45:30.32\00:45:32.72
Yes or no.
00:45:33.48\00:45:34.49
Okay not just intercedes,
but He constantly intercedes.
00:45:34.52\00:45:37.03
So Christ, and who else
does she say intercedes?
00:45:37.06\00:45:39.24
Christ and the Spirit. Okay.
00:45:39.25\00:45:41.73
So, do we need the
intercession of Christ?
00:45:41.76\00:45:44.81
Yeah.
00:45:45.28\00:45:46.28
The intercession of
Christ revolves around the
00:45:46.48\00:45:49.46
pleading of His own blood.
00:45:49.49\00:45:50.82
Right?
00:45:51.00\00:45:52.00
By the way, that simply means
His life; the blood is the life.
00:45:52.02\00:45:54.90
So when He pleads
His blood, it means,
00:45:54.93\00:45:57.30
"Father, the death that I died
was the death that they deserve.
00:45:57.33\00:46:00.50
And the life that I have lived
is the life they have not lived.
00:46:00.53\00:46:03.23
I present myself to you."
00:46:03.26\00:46:05.23
That's where the intercession
of Christ takes place;
00:46:05.26\00:46:08.52
presenting His sacrificial death
and His substitutionary life.
00:46:08.55\00:46:12.11
Are you with me on that?
00:46:12.14\00:46:13.17
But not only
does Jesus intercede,
00:46:13.48\00:46:17.95
the Spirit intercedes.
00:46:17.98\00:46:19.76
Question.
00:46:19.79\00:46:20.78
Does the Spirit
present His blood?
00:46:21.14\00:46:23.17
Why not?
00:46:24.46\00:46:25.46
Because He didn't die.
00:46:26.26\00:46:27.31
He didn't die
on Golgotha's tree.
00:46:27.75\00:46:29.57
So what does the Spirit do?
00:46:29.60\00:46:31.10
Ah, notice as it continues.
00:46:31.13\00:46:32.49
Okay, now this is
absolutely awesome.
00:47:15.50\00:47:17.66
This is exactly what Paul
is saying in Romans chapter 8.
00:47:17.69\00:47:19.93
That the Spirit
Himself intercedes for us
00:47:19.96\00:47:22.27
with groanings
that cannot be uttered.
00:47:22.30\00:47:24.80
In the context of Romans
chapter 8, Paul has talked
00:47:25.35\00:47:27.47
about the groaning creation,
and he's talked about the
00:47:27.50\00:47:29.92
groaning Christian.
00:47:29.95\00:47:31.35
And here, he talks
about the groaning Comforter.
00:47:31.38\00:47:33.98
He actually says that.
00:47:34.61\00:47:36.10
He says creation groans,
and he says Christians groan.
00:47:36.13\00:47:39.64
And here he says even the
Comforter, the Spirit, groans.
00:47:39.67\00:47:43.45
But what is the Spirit groaning?
00:47:43.48\00:47:45.21
Have you ever had the
experience of kneeling to pray
00:47:46.74\00:47:49.38
and not even
knowing what to say?
00:47:49.72\00:47:52.18
This happens to me like
every single time I pray?
00:47:52.67\00:47:56.89
I mean, I'll just
be honest with you.
00:47:57.29\00:47:59.27
I'll be very vulnerable
here with you, very transparent.
00:47:59.28\00:48:01.25
Prayer is difficult for me.
00:48:01.28\00:48:03.43
I actually read Shelley's book,
Pressing Into His Presence.
00:48:04.66\00:48:06.83
Very helpful.
00:48:06.86\00:48:08.32
But for me, study comes natural.
00:48:09.59\00:48:11.44
Books come natural,
reading comes natural.
00:48:11.47\00:48:13.95
But prayer?
00:48:13.98\00:48:15.07
I'm just so philosophically
and analytically minded
00:48:15.67\00:48:17.96
that when I get
down to pray, I think,
00:48:17.99\00:48:19.18
"Well God, You already
know what I was going to say
00:48:19.19\00:48:22.30
if I was going to pray, so
can we just skip this part?"
00:48:22.33\00:48:24.57
But then I realize,
prayer is not about me
00:48:24.77\00:48:28.03
giving God information.
00:48:28.06\00:48:30.36
It's about me coming
into connection with God.
00:48:30.81\00:48:33.72
And that takes time. Right?
00:48:33.75\00:48:35.77
But when I kneel
down and I'm like,
00:48:35.80\00:48:37.64
"Lord, I don't know
how to pray for all the
00:48:38.79\00:48:40.66
people that are
sold into sexual slavery.
00:48:40.69\00:48:44.53
I don't know how to pray
for all the children that
00:48:44.54\00:48:46.26
starve to death on a
daily basis or the children in
00:48:46.29\00:48:49.36
urban situations who
never even get to go out of the
00:48:49.39\00:48:51.74
city limits of the town
in which they were born.
00:48:51.77\00:48:53.28
I don't know how to
pray for the situation.
00:48:53.29\00:48:55.32
I don't know how to pray."
00:48:55.35\00:48:56.73
And in Romans 8 we
have this amazing promise.
00:48:57.71\00:48:59.94
That when you
don't know how to pray...
00:48:59.97\00:49:01.71
And he says it, we
don't even know how to
00:49:01.72\00:49:02.83
pray like we ought to.
00:49:02.86\00:49:04.07
So I get down and I say,
"Lord, I'm going to pray."
00:49:04.10\00:49:06.62
Have you ever had to
pray for a sick person?
00:49:06.65\00:49:08.50
Is that tough to do?
00:49:09.41\00:49:10.56
Yeah, it's very difficult
to pray for a sick person.
00:49:11.05\00:49:13.04
Because do you believe
that God can heal them?
00:49:13.07\00:49:15.06
Yeah, but do you know
that's what God is going to do?
00:49:15.47\00:49:19.25
Uh, no.
00:49:20.08\00:49:21.43
So when I kneel, when
I go to do an anointing
00:49:21.46\00:49:23.02
or I pray for a sick person,
I'm always caught between
00:49:23.05\00:49:25.44
my total faith that God can heal
and yet my unawareness or my
00:49:25.47\00:49:30.84
lack of knowledge of whether
or not He will right now.
00:49:30.87\00:49:33.69
Now God is going to heal
everybody at the resurrection.
00:49:33.72\00:49:35.36
Amen?
00:49:35.37\00:49:36.37
So I don't know how to pray.
00:49:36.38\00:49:37.61
I go into hospitals on
many occasions and I'm just
00:49:38.10\00:49:40.40
stumbling and
bumbling and fumbling.
00:49:40.43\00:49:42.46
And when I pray, I say,
"Lord, take this stumbling
00:49:42.49\00:49:45.71
and bumbling, in the words of
the old hymn, stammering tongue
00:49:45.74\00:49:49.43
and Father, please will You
hear what my heart is saying."
00:49:50.07\00:49:54.82
I don't even know if
I'm praying the right way.
00:49:54.85\00:49:56.32
People call me all
the time and they say,
00:49:56.35\00:49:57.35
"David, I don't know
what I should do with my life.
00:49:57.38\00:49:58.81
Should I go to school?
Should I do Bible work?
00:49:58.84\00:50:00.43
Should I marry this person?
Should I move to this country?"
00:50:00.46\00:50:02.73
How do I know?
00:50:02.76\00:50:03.88
I don't know.
00:50:04.25\00:50:05.28
But you can kneel and
you can pray and you can say,
00:50:05.31\00:50:07.02
"Lord, what do
You want me to do?
00:50:07.05\00:50:09.10
How do You want me to go?"
00:50:09.13\00:50:10.16
And you're praying
and then you can even say,
00:50:10.19\00:50:12.55
"And Lord, if I'm
praying all messed up,
00:50:12.58\00:50:15.37
please let the
Spirit intercede."
00:50:16.14\00:50:19.03
May the Spirit
gather up those prayers.
00:50:19.06\00:50:21.00
The Spirits listening
because He's a person.
00:50:21.03\00:50:22.97
See, He's a person.
00:50:23.50\00:50:24.61
The Spirit is
listening, "Um-hm, um-hm, um-hm.
00:50:24.64\00:50:28.17
Hmm, um-hm,
um-hm. I've got that."
00:50:28.96\00:50:32.57
He gathers up those prayers,
those fragmentary prayers,
00:50:32.87\00:50:35.86
and He brings them
to the... He intercedes.
00:50:36.16\00:50:39.72
"This is what he said.
00:50:39.75\00:50:41.29
I know, it
sounded stupid. I know.
00:50:41.59\00:50:43.51
But this is what he meant."
00:50:43.54\00:50:44.86
"And this is what she asked for.
00:50:46.34\00:50:47.88
I know, I know. She's immature.
00:50:47.91\00:50:49.91
But this is what she meant."
00:50:49.92\00:50:51.58
The Spirit Himself intercedes.
00:50:52.17\00:50:55.35
Well how can the
Spirit intercede?
00:50:55.38\00:50:56.71
Because He's a person.
00:50:56.74\00:50:59.04
And not just a person. He's God.
00:50:59.05\00:51:01.43
Jesus intercedes.
00:51:02.22\00:51:03.32
Jesus' intercession is equal
to the Spirit's, but different.
00:51:03.33\00:51:07.84
Distinguishable
but not divisible.
00:51:07.85\00:51:09.80
I want to say that again.
00:51:10.61\00:51:11.65
The intercession of the Spirit
and the intercession of Jesus
00:51:11.94\00:51:14.83
are distinguishable,
but they're not divisible.
00:51:14.86\00:51:18.34
This is what Jesus is
doing, He's pleading His blood.
00:51:18.92\00:51:21.36
This is what
the Spirit is doing.
00:51:21.39\00:51:22.64
But both are
absolutely essential.
00:51:23.24\00:51:25.27
You with me on that?
00:51:25.72\00:51:26.77
Now it gets even more awesome.
00:51:27.07\00:51:28.74
And we stay in Romans chapter 8.
00:51:28.77\00:51:30.58
This is arguably my
favorite verse in all of...
00:51:30.61\00:51:34.71
...the first half
of Romans chapter 8.
00:51:36.28\00:51:37.83
I love this verse.
00:51:39.69\00:51:40.75
I love this verse
because, to me, it is so
00:51:40.76\00:51:43.01
epistemologically profound.
00:51:43.04\00:51:44.76
But I don't have time
to go into that right now.
00:51:44.77\00:51:46.31
Check this out,
Romans chapter 8 verse 15.
00:51:47.47\00:51:51.85
"For you did not receive the
spirit of bondage again to fear,
00:51:51.88\00:51:55.11
but you received
the Spirit of..." What?
00:51:55.14\00:51:58.20
"... of adoption..."
I can relate to that.
00:51:58.23\00:51:59.72
I was adopted,
not once, but twice.
00:51:59.73\00:52:01.41
"...you received the Spirit
of adoption by whom we cry out,
00:52:01.44\00:52:04.01
Daddy, Abba, Papa..."
00:52:04.04\00:52:05.66
That's what my
little boys call me; Papa.
00:52:05.69\00:52:07.03
"...Father."
00:52:07.06\00:52:08.17
Verse 16, "The Spirit Himself
bears witness with our spirit
00:52:08.20\00:52:13.58
that we are children of God."
00:52:14.59\00:52:16.26
This is awesome.
00:52:16.66\00:52:18.05
By the way, the way that we
know Christianity is true...
00:52:18.71\00:52:23.33
This is what I was talking
about there when I mentioned the
00:52:23.36\00:52:25.29
epistemologically
significance of this verse.
00:52:25.30\00:52:27.15
The way that we
know Christianity is true
00:52:27.84\00:52:30.63
is because the Spirit
tells us that it's true.
00:52:30.66\00:52:33.64
The way that we show it is true
is by arguments and by evidence
00:52:33.99\00:52:37.83
and by godly lives.
00:52:37.86\00:52:38.92
But that's not how we know
that Christian faith is true.
00:52:38.95\00:52:41.37
We know that Christian faith
is true because God's Spirit,
00:52:41.40\00:52:44.83
who is Himself a
member of the Godhead,
00:52:44.86\00:52:47.50
comes into our lives and
bears witness with our spirit.
00:52:47.53\00:52:51.00
And God's Spirit says to our
spirit, "You're a son of God.
00:52:51.03\00:52:53.69
You're a daughter of God."
00:52:53.70\00:52:55.06
Amen?
00:52:55.91\00:52:56.92
And only a person can do that.
00:52:56.94\00:52:58.14
In fact, I don't
have the quotation here,
00:52:58.17\00:52:59.59
but Ellen White
actually makes that exact point
00:52:59.62\00:53:02.00
based on this verse.
00:53:02.01\00:53:03.03
She makes that exact point.
00:53:03.06\00:53:04.60
She says, "The Spirit is a
person," this is a direct quote.
00:53:04.63\00:53:07.96
"The Spirit is a person,
else He could not bear witness
00:53:07.99\00:53:10.86
with our spirit."
00:53:10.89\00:53:12.57
Only a person.
00:53:13.35\00:53:14.40
Have you ever poured
your heart out to somebody and
00:53:14.43\00:53:16.59
had them say, "I know
exactly what you mean."
00:53:16.62\00:53:18.90
Yes or no?
00:53:19.29\00:53:20.27
Yeah, you open your
heart to somebody and they say,
00:53:20.30\00:53:22.04
"Man, I know. I
know. I feel your pain.
00:53:22.07\00:53:23.98
I know where you're coming from.
00:53:23.99\00:53:25.02
I've walked a
mile in your moccasins.
00:53:25.06\00:53:26.79
I'm with you, I'm
smelling what you're cooking."
00:53:26.82\00:53:28.95
Right?
00:53:28.97\00:53:29.97
"I'm hearing what you're saying.
00:53:29.98\00:53:31.11
I'm catching
what you're throwing."
00:53:31.12\00:53:32.23
There's a resonance there.
00:53:32.26\00:53:33.89
And that's exactly what
Paul says the Spirit does.
00:53:34.13\00:53:36.63
The Spirit bears
witness with our spirit.
00:53:36.66\00:53:40.87
"You're the Son of God."
00:53:42.34\00:53:43.42
"You're the daughter of God."
00:53:43.96\00:53:45.01
And we know it, intuitively.
00:53:45.04\00:53:47.07
Incorrigibly is
the technical term.
00:53:47.09\00:53:49.10
We know in a self authenticating
way because God has
00:53:49.11\00:53:53.00
revealed Himself to
us through His Spirit.
00:53:53.03\00:53:57.26
Not just a power, not
just an effervescence,
00:53:57.29\00:53:59.79
but the third
Person of the Godhead.
00:54:00.58\00:54:04.46
Amen?
00:54:05.33\00:54:06.53
Is that just
absolutely so thrilling?
00:54:06.56\00:54:09.77
Now the final thing I
want to get into here,
00:54:09.80\00:54:11.51
and I have just
a moment, is this.
00:54:11.52\00:54:13.28
I've said this at the
end of the last two sessions
00:54:13.31\00:54:15.13
and I want to
unpack it a little bit.
00:54:15.16\00:54:16.52
We've looked at all the things
that only a person could do.
00:54:19.41\00:54:21.59
He forbids, He
permits, He teaches.
00:54:21.62\00:54:24.09
He can be grieved,
He can be insulted.
00:54:24.12\00:54:26.11
He guides, He
reveals, etc. He's a person.
00:54:26.14\00:54:28.93
What's the
practical application?
00:54:31.03\00:54:32.63
Several years ago, I
was sitting in a restaurant
00:54:33.24\00:54:34.83
and there was a
man that was not of my
00:54:34.86\00:54:37.88
particular faith community.
00:54:37.91\00:54:39.22
But he was a wonderful
man. A good Christian man.
00:54:39.24\00:54:41.03
And he asked me if I had
received the Holy Spirit,
00:54:41.04\00:54:43.14
if I had been
anointed by the Spirit.
00:54:43.17\00:54:46.58
And I said, "I think so."
00:54:46.61\00:54:48.00
And he said,
"Oh, you don't know?"
00:54:48.01\00:54:49.37
And we were
sitting in a restaurant.
00:54:49.39\00:54:50.39
And he said, "Come out
back with me and I'll show you."
00:54:50.40\00:54:53.19
"Alright." I was a
brand new Christian.
00:54:53.42\00:54:55.20
So we went out back.
And his name was Jerry.
00:54:55.23\00:54:57.71
And we get behind the
restaurant there and he says,
00:54:57.74\00:54:59.69
"Okay well, haba shabama hamana
humana shamana hamana wumana."
00:54:59.72\00:55:05.68
And I was like...
00:55:06.49\00:55:07.49
He's like, "Yeah,
it's the gift of tongues.
00:55:08.87\00:55:10.59
You can have it
right now. Go ahead."
00:55:10.91\00:55:12.43
And I was just
like, "What do you mean?"
00:55:12.46\00:55:14.05
He's like, "Go ahead.
00:55:14.07\00:55:15.07
The Spirit will
come upon you. Go."
00:55:15.09\00:55:16.60
And I didn't know
anything. Theology...
00:55:16.88\00:55:19.44
I was just like...
00:55:19.47\00:55:21.44
It just didn't
pass the smell test.
00:55:22.01\00:55:23.48
It didn't sound right.
00:55:23.51\00:55:25.12
He was like, "No,
it's easy. It's easy.
00:55:25.15\00:55:26.57
Go, go, go, go, go."
00:55:26.60\00:55:28.24
And I was like, "You
know, Jerry, I don't know.
00:55:28.27\00:55:30.40
I'm just not...
I'm not feeling that."
00:55:30.43\00:55:33.23
He's like, "No, you can do it."
00:55:33.26\00:55:34.26
And here's the thing.
00:55:34.29\00:55:35.38
And Jerry is a great guy.
00:55:36.46\00:55:38.41
And I think he was way
off on 1 Corinthians 14,
00:55:38.44\00:55:40.93
and way off on Acts
2, and way off Acts 10.
00:55:40.96\00:55:43.39
I don't think that is
anything like a manifestation
00:55:43.42\00:55:45.57
of the gift of the Spirit.
00:55:45.60\00:55:46.66
But here's the point.
00:55:46.69\00:55:48.21
Jerry acted in such a way as
though the Spirit was something
00:55:48.73\00:55:52.63
he could just summon and then
now demonstrate and perform.
00:55:52.66\00:55:57.69
We treat the Spirit like it's
a power and we're in trouble.
00:55:58.10\00:56:01.27
We're going to start
trying to use this power.
00:56:01.30\00:56:04.41
But we treat the Spirit
and we relate to the Spirit
00:56:06.58\00:56:09.00
as He is; as a person.
00:56:09.03\00:56:11.37
Then our plea will be a
very different situation.
00:56:11.77\00:56:14.26
Not, "Give me the
Spirit that I may be powerful."
00:56:15.20\00:56:18.49
But rather,
"Give me the Spirit..."
00:56:18.50\00:56:21.46
Or rather, "Give
the Spirit to me.
00:56:21.49\00:56:24.11
May I be given to the
Spirit that He may use me."
00:56:24.14\00:56:27.71
A great old story about Dwight
Moody, I'll close with this.
00:56:28.01\00:56:30.35
He was preaching a big
evangelistic meeting in Chicago
00:56:31.22\00:56:33.26
and a young minister was
getting tired about hearing,
00:56:33.29\00:56:35.33
Moody... Moody... Moody...
He was at a minister's meeting.
00:56:35.35\00:56:37.39
And so he spoke up on one
occasion at the minister's
00:56:37.87\00:56:39.76
meeting and said, "All we ever
hear is Moody, Moody, Moody.
00:56:39.79\00:56:43.98
What, does this guy have a
monopoly on the Holy Spirit?"
00:56:44.82\00:56:47.23
And one of the older
ministers spoke up and said,
00:56:50.52\00:56:52.41
"No, you've got it
all wrong young man.
00:56:52.44\00:56:55.02
Dwight Moody does not have
a monopoly on the Holy Spirit.
00:56:55.05\00:56:58.08
The Holy spirit has got a
monopoly on Dwight Moody."
00:56:59.27\00:57:02.28
And friends,
that's what we need.
00:57:03.32\00:57:04.82
We need the unknown God
to become the known God.
00:57:05.12\00:57:10.47
The Spirit, the third
Person of the Godhead.
00:57:11.03\00:57:13.91
Not just to be beside us or next
to us or over us or around us.
00:57:13.94\00:57:18.18
But in keeping and in
fulfillment with the promise
00:57:18.95\00:57:21.18
of Jesus, that the unknown
God would become the known God.
00:57:21.19\00:57:24.98
That His Spirit would
bear witness with our spirit,
00:57:25.00\00:57:27.26
and that He would be in us.
00:57:27.67\00:57:30.32