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Dr. Jean Ross:
Good morning, friends.
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Welcome to
"Sabbath School Study Hour,"
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coming to you here
from the Granite Bay
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Seventh-day Adventist Church
in Sacramento, California.
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A very warm welcome
to our friends joining us
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across the country
and around the world,
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our extended
Sabbath school class.
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Also, I'd like to welcome
the members and the visitors
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right here at the Granite Bay
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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so good to see you again this
morning here ready to study.
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Well, we've been
started-- we started studying
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our new lesson
quarterly on the Holy Spirit.
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And today, we are
on lesson number two,
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entitled "The Holy Spirit:
Working Behind the Scenes."
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Now, I hope all of you here have
a copy of the lesson quarterly.
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But for our friends who are
joining us, if you don't have a
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copy of today's lesson, lesson
number two on the Holy Spirit,
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you can download today's lesson
at the Amazing Facts website.
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Just amazingfacts.org, and
then click on lesson number two,
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and you can study along with us.
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We have a free offer that
goes along with our study today,
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it's a book entitled
"The Flesh and the Spirit."
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This is our
free offer for today.
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If you'd like to receive
this, just call our resource
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phone number,
and that number is...
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And you can ask
for offer number 792.
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Well, before we get
to our study, as normal,
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we like to begin by
lifting our voices in praise,
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so I'd like to
invite our song leaders
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to come and join me on stage.
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Jolyne Simler:
Thank you, Pastor Ross.
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As we're studying the
Holy Spirit this quarter,
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we're going to
sing this morning about
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"Give Me The Bible,
Holy Message Shining."
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And it's really what it's about.
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That is how the Holy Spirit
speaks to us and God speaks
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to us, through his
Word and through prayer.
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So, we're going to
sing about that today.
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Hymn 272, "Give Me the Bible."
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We're going to
sing all three verses.
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¤¤¤
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¤¤¤
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¤ Give me the Bible,
star of gladness gleaming ¤
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¤ to cheer the wanderer
lone and tempest tossed ¤
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¤ No storm can hide that
peaceful radiance beaming ¤
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¤ since Jesus came to
seek and save the lost ¤
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¤ Give me the Bible,
holy message shining ¤
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¤ Thy light shall
guide me in the narrow way ¤
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¤ Precept and promise,
law and love combining ¤
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¤ 'til night shall
vanish in eternal day ¤
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¤ Give me the Bible
when my heart is broken ¤
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¤ when sin and grief have
filled my soul with fear ¤
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¤ Give me the precious
words by Jesus spoken ¤
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¤ Hold up faith's lamp
to show my Savior near ¤
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¤ Give me the Bible,
holy message shining ¤
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¤ Thy light shall
guide me in the narrow way ¤
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¤ Precept and promise,
law and love combining ¤
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¤ 'til night shall
vanish in eternal day ¤
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¤ Give me the Bible,
all my steps enlighten ¤
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¤ Teach me the danger
of these realms below ¤
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¤ That lamp of safety
o'er the gloom shall brighten ¤
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¤ That light alone the
path of peace can show ¤
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¤ Give me the Bible,
holy message shining ¤
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¤ Thy light shall
guide me in the narrow way ¤
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¤ Precept and promise,
law and love combining ¤
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¤ 'til night shall
vanish in eternal day ¤¤
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Jolyne: At this time,
Pastor Ross will lead us
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in our opening prayer.
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¤¤¤
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Dr. Ross: Let us bow
our heads for prayer.
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Dear Father in heaven,
what a privilege once again
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to be able to gather
together to study your Word.
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And as we open up
the Scriptures, we ask
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the Holy Spirit to guide our
hearts and our minds as we study
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about the Holy Spirit
and his role in our lives.
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So, we pray for your continued
guidance, and we pray for divine
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wisdom as we
search the Scriptures,
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in Jesus' name, amen.
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Our study this morning
is going to be brought to us
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by Dr. David DeRose.
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Thank you.
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Dr. David
DeRose: Well, it's good
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to be with you this morning.
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And we're continuing our
study that we began last week
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on the Holy Spirit.
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We're on the second lesson, as
Pastor Ross introduced us with,
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"The Holy Spirit:
Working Behind the Scenes."
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The Holy Spirit
working behind the scenes.
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Perhaps, just perhaps you
have one of these in your home.
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It's what they call an antique.
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Can you relate to this?
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Maybe it's an antique chair,
maybe it's an antique desk.
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Do you have such an
article, any of you?
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I see some of you
nodding your heads.
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Imagine you've got an antique
chair, and it's tucked away in
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some remote place
because this chair has been
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in the family for decades.
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And it's really
not fit to sit in.
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Maybe it's tucked away in
an attic or in a storage shed.
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Are you following along with me?
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And one day, you walk in where
that chair is, and you say,
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"You know, it's a shame
that this is just in storage.
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I should have it restored, and
then we could actually use it."
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And so, you go
online, and you find someone
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that restores the antiques.
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By the way, you can't just
go to the local hardware store
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and get some screws or
nails, and fix an antique chair.
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You know how that works, right?
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I'm not an expert in antiques,
but they tell me that will
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dramatically
depreciate the value.
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So, you find a
master craftsman who does
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restoration of antiques.
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And you know how it works.
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Whenever you're
looking for a specialist,
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you've got to drive
miles to find such a person.
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Are you following along?
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And so you do that, and
you know how your schedule is.
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You're rushed.
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You rush over there,
you drop off the chair.
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And because it was put out
of the way, you totally forget
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about it until some 3 weeks
later, you get a phone call,
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the chair has been restored,
but it's the same deal.
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You've got to drive way out
of your way, you go to the place
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and you--wow, when you
get that chair back, you are--
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I mean it's--you're just amazed.
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And as you're driving back with
that chair, you're thinking,
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"Wow, where can I put it now?
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This thing has been restored."
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But you know, it's possible if
one of your friends ran into you
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and they asked you about
the craftsman that restored
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the chair, you wouldn't be
able to tell them anything about
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that individual other
than that he does great work.
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And I tell you that story
because if you'd been living
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some 2,000 years ago, and you'd
been in the town of Nazareth or
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in its environs, that master
craftsman may have been Jesus.
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Isn't that possible?
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Turn your Bibles
to Matthew chapter 13.
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In Matthew chapter 13,
we get a glimpse of Jesus.
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And you might be wondering,
on a lesson on the Holy Spirit,
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where we're going, but I
think we'll see how these
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dots connect before too long.
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I'm in Matthew chapter
13, and I'm going to pick up
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with verse 54, Matthew
13 beginning with verse 54.
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Here we're getting a picture
of how Jesus' contemporaries,
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even after he was in
his ministry, regarded him.
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He's back in his
hometown of Nazareth.
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In Matthew chapter 13,
verse 54, we read these words,
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"When he had come to his
own country back in Nazareth,
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he taught them in
their synagogue so that they
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were astonished and
said, 'Where did this man
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get the wisdom and
these mighty works?
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Is not this the carpenter's son?
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Is not his mother called Mary
and his brethren James, Joses,
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Simon, and Judas?
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And his sisters, are
they not all here with us?
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Where did this man
get all these things?'
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So they were offended at him.
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But Jesus said to them, 'A
prophet is not without honor
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except in his own
country and in his own house.'
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Now, he did not do
many mighty works there
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because of their unbelief."
00:10:00.83\00:10:05.70
Now, let's just think
about it for a minute.
00:10:05.73\00:10:08.44
Jesus, in his humility, for
most of his life was totally
00:10:08.47\00:10:14.58
unrecognized as
the divine Son of God.
00:10:14.61\00:10:20.52
Even during his
ministry, that's what we just
00:10:20.55\00:10:22.38
read about in Matthew 13.
00:10:22.42\00:10:24.15
Those who had known him in
the carpenter shop were still
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struggling with who this was.
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I point that out to you because
Jesus was manifested in a way
00:10:34.83\00:10:40.24
that we could, at least humanity
could, physically see him,
00:10:40.27\00:10:45.37
could interact with him.
00:10:45.41\00:10:47.14
But in his humility, he
was largely unrecognized.
00:10:47.18\00:10:52.75
And the question then is, when
it comes to the Holy Spirit,
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how much more is it likely
to misperceive the working
00:10:57.95\00:11:03.09
of one who has not manifested
himself in human form?
00:11:03.12\00:11:09.40
So, as we're looking at
this lesson, it is really
00:11:09.43\00:11:12.30
about the mysterious
working of the Holy Spirit.
00:11:12.33\00:11:17.17
It is what actually
Christians have struggled with
00:11:17.21\00:11:21.04
over the centuries.
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I would like to suggest to
you that this whole quarter
00:11:23.51\00:11:27.55
is an extremely
important series of lessons.
00:11:27.58\00:11:31.22
And in fact, those who think the
lessons are the least important
00:11:31.25\00:11:35.66
are perhaps the ones
who most need the lessons.
00:11:35.69\00:11:39.43
There's only one group who
perhaps needs the lessons more.
00:11:39.46\00:11:43.47
And those are those who think
they don't need the lessons
00:11:43.50\00:11:46.57
because they already
fully comprehend the working
00:11:46.60\00:11:50.61
of the Holy Spirit.
00:11:50.64\00:11:54.54
And I'll try to flesh that
out for you before too long.
00:11:54.58\00:11:58.48
Let's spend just a moment
looking at what was our memory
00:11:58.51\00:12:01.28
text for this week
because this will point us
00:12:01.32\00:12:04.32
in a direction
where we need to go.
00:12:04.35\00:12:07.29
It's from John 16, verse 14.
00:12:07.32\00:12:11.09
The lesson has it in
the New King James version.
00:12:11.13\00:12:14.30
Why don't we read
that all together?
00:12:14.36\00:12:17.33
"He will glorify me, for
he will take of what is mine
00:12:17.37\00:12:23.97
and declare it to you."
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The Holy Spirit, as
we'll see as we study together,
00:12:28.11\00:12:31.35
is often described in
terms of what he does.
00:12:31.38\00:12:35.65
And because of
that, the Holy Spirit
00:12:35.68\00:12:37.75
has been misapprehended
throughout history.
00:12:37.79\00:12:41.49
He has been misperceived.
00:12:41.52\00:12:43.59
Are you aware that many have
rejected that there is a member
00:12:43.63\00:12:47.66
of the Godhead
known as the Holy Spirit,
00:12:47.66\00:12:49.46
are you aware of that?
00:12:49.50\00:12:51.90
But the Holy Spirit is
very much a real person,
00:12:51.93\00:12:55.00
and the Holy Spirit is
very much one of the Godhead.
00:12:55.04\00:12:59.14
And we'll see that
even in this week's lesson.
00:12:59.17\00:13:01.84
Let's go first to
Sunday's lesson, where it speaks
00:13:01.88\00:13:05.45
of the elusiveness
of the Holy Spirit,
00:13:05.48\00:13:09.45
the elusiveness
of the Holy Spirit.
00:13:09.48\00:13:12.39
And we're going to go
first to Ezekiel chapter 37.
00:13:12.42\00:13:16.42
Ezekiel 37 is that famous
prophecy of the dry bones.
00:13:16.46\00:13:23.33
Ezekiel, of course,
was writing during the time
00:13:23.37\00:13:26.13
of the captivity.
00:13:26.17\00:13:28.20
God's people had been
unfaithful, they had been
00:13:28.24\00:13:30.54
brought to Babylon, and Ezekiel
was being given messages that
00:13:30.57\00:13:35.14
relate to God's people who
seemed that they are without
00:13:35.18\00:13:38.51
life, there's no more hope
for the children of Israel.
00:13:38.55\00:13:42.05
You remember that psalm where
it spoke of the captors saying,
00:13:42.08\00:13:46.89
"Sing us one of
the songs of Israel."
00:13:46.92\00:13:49.26
And they said, "How can
we sing the Lord's songs
00:13:49.29\00:13:52.43
in a strange land?"
00:13:52.46\00:13:54.30
This is kind of where Israel
is at in their experience.
00:13:54.36\00:13:57.27
And so, in Ezekiel 37, the
prophet is brought to a valley.
00:13:57.30\00:14:04.74
And it says that
valley in Ezekiel 37,
00:14:04.77\00:14:07.84
verse 1 was full of what?
00:14:07.88\00:14:10.88
Bones, what kind of bones?
00:14:10.91\00:14:13.48
Dry bones.
00:14:13.52\00:14:16.18
Now, for those of you that
have some medical background,
00:14:16.22\00:14:19.02
dried bones are
totally lifeless.
00:14:19.05\00:14:22.22
There's no marrow,
there's no hope in those bones.
00:14:22.26\00:14:25.96
And as you read through the
account, we come to verse 4.
00:14:25.99\00:14:31.40
And God is speaking to Ezekiel,
he says, "Prophesy to these
00:14:31.43\00:14:34.74
bones and say to
them, 'O dry bones,
00:14:34.77\00:14:38.27
hear the Word of the Lord.
00:14:38.31\00:14:40.41
Thus says the Lord God to
the bones, to these bones,
00:14:40.44\00:14:44.65
"Surely I will cause
breath to enter into you
00:14:44.68\00:14:47.95
and you shall live.
00:14:47.98\00:14:49.72
I will put sinews on you
and bring flesh upon you,
00:14:49.75\00:14:52.05
cover you with skin,
and put breath in you
00:14:52.09\00:14:54.26
and you shall live.
00:14:54.29\00:14:56.09
Then you shall know
that I am the Lord."'"
00:14:56.12\00:14:59.26
Now, that word there, "breath,"
it's from the Hebrew, ruach.
00:14:59.29\00:15:04.07
And ruach is not only breath,
00:15:04.10\00:15:06.80
but it's also
accurately translated spirit.
00:15:06.84\00:15:11.41
And so, as we're reading in the
Old Testament about the spirit,
00:15:11.44\00:15:15.04
we're reading about this ruach,
00:15:15.08\00:15:17.08
which also can be
translated breath.
00:15:17.11\00:15:19.25
And so, as you
read through Ezekiel 37,
00:15:19.28\00:15:22.02
you could be asking
yourself a question.
00:15:22.05\00:15:25.35
Are we reading about
God's life-giving breath,
00:15:25.39\00:15:28.72
or are we reading
about the Holy Spirit?
00:15:28.76\00:15:32.16
Because the terms
used for God's breath
00:15:32.19\00:15:36.10
and the Spirit are identical.
00:15:36.13\00:15:39.27
So, which is
being talked about here?
00:15:39.30\00:15:42.87
Well, exegetically
from the Bible itself,
00:15:42.90\00:15:45.14
just reading the
text, you can't tell.
00:15:45.17\00:15:48.94
You can't tell.
00:15:48.98\00:15:52.28
We're going to go
now to John chapter 3.
00:15:52.31\00:15:56.58
And in John chapter 3,
we're going to catch a glimpse
00:15:56.62\00:16:00.06
of this interesting wordplay,
if you will, that is occurring
00:16:00.09\00:16:06.56
not only in the Old
Testament with the word "ruach,"
00:16:06.59\00:16:09.86
but also in the New Testament.
00:16:09.90\00:16:12.53
And so, as we come to John 3
and that famous night meeting
00:16:12.57\00:16:16.50
between the teacher, the great
teacher of Israel, Nicodemus,
00:16:16.54\00:16:21.01
and the really great
teacher of Israel, Jesus, we
00:16:21.04\00:16:25.21
read this very
interesting description.
00:16:25.25\00:16:27.72
And as we read
from the translations in
00:16:27.75\00:16:30.45
the English language,
we miss some of the power
00:16:30.49\00:16:34.29
of what's being shared here.
00:16:34.32\00:16:36.62
So, in John chapter 3,
the lesson calls our attention
00:16:36.66\00:16:40.03
to verses 3 through 8.
00:16:40.06\00:16:42.43
Let's look at those
together, John chapter 3,
00:16:42.46\00:16:46.03
verses 3 through 8,
Jesus speaking to Nicodemus.
00:16:46.07\00:16:50.21
He says to him, "Most assuredly
I say to you, unless one
00:16:50.24\00:16:54.68
is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God."
00:16:54.71\00:16:58.78
Nicodemus said to him, "How can
a man be born when he is old?
00:16:58.81\00:17:01.98
Can he enter a second time into
his mother's womb and be born?"
00:17:02.02\00:17:07.82
Jesus answered him,
"Most assuredly I say to you,
00:17:07.86\00:17:11.66
unless one is born
of water and the spirit,
00:17:11.69\00:17:14.13
he cannot enter
the kingdom of God.
00:17:14.20\00:17:16.13
That which is born
of the flesh is flesh,
00:17:16.16\00:17:18.23
that which is born
of the spirit is spirit.
00:17:18.27\00:17:21.17
Do not marvel that I say
to you you must be born again.
00:17:21.20\00:17:24.87
The wind blows where it wishes
and you hear the sound of it,
00:17:24.91\00:17:29.08
but cannot tell where it
comes from and where it goes.
00:17:29.11\00:17:31.98
So is everyone who
is born of the spirit."
00:17:32.01\00:17:36.95
Now, if you were to
look at verse 8 in the Greek,
00:17:36.99\00:17:40.79
and you were to translate
it a little bit more freely,
00:17:40.82\00:17:45.63
we could translate it this way.
00:17:45.66\00:17:48.13
We could actually use
the Greek word "pneuma,"
00:17:48.16\00:17:51.73
which actually is
the word that could be
00:17:51.77\00:17:53.70
translated spirit or breath.
00:17:53.74\00:17:55.67
And it would read
something like this.
00:17:55.70\00:17:57.41
"The pneuma
pneumas where it wishes.
00:17:57.44\00:18:00.91
You hear the sound of it,
you can't tell where it's from.
00:18:00.94\00:18:03.68
So is everyone
that's born of the pneuma."
00:18:03.71\00:18:06.85
The pneuma
pneumas, so is everyone
00:18:06.88\00:18:09.68
that is born of the pneuma.
00:18:09.72\00:18:11.99
And you might be sitting
there scratching your head.
00:18:12.02\00:18:15.56
I mean, what's going on here?
00:18:15.59\00:18:17.53
The wind winds.
00:18:17.56\00:18:19.73
And it says everyone
who is born of the wind.
00:18:19.76\00:18:22.16
Now, I think the
translations are accurate.
00:18:22.20\00:18:24.30
Jesus is drawing
Nicodemus' attention
00:18:24.33\00:18:26.94
to the mysterious
working of the wind.
00:18:26.97\00:18:29.94
But the language in both
the Old Testament and the New is
00:18:29.97\00:18:34.28
actually blurring, blurring
the identity of the Holy Spirit.
00:18:34.31\00:18:40.02
So, it's not like Jesus,
who humbled himself and came
00:18:40.05\00:18:43.85
on this earth as a man
and was misapprehended.
00:18:43.89\00:18:47.89
The Holy Spirit comes as
something that we can't even
00:18:47.92\00:18:52.03
grasp, like the
wind, like God's breath?
00:18:52.06\00:18:58.13
And I think it's because of this
that many have misinterpreted
00:18:58.17\00:19:03.27
who the Holy Spirit is and
the work of the Holy Spirit.
00:19:03.30\00:19:08.61
Now, many would say, "Well, you
know, we were just reading from
00:19:08.64\00:19:12.18
Ezekiel, and that starts to--and
we're talking about Babylon.
00:19:12.21\00:19:18.35
I mean, do you
realize, Dr. DeRose,"
00:19:18.39\00:19:20.39
someone might say,
"that the whole concept
00:19:20.42\00:19:22.89
of the trinity
is a false notion?
00:19:22.92\00:19:25.73
It comes from paganism?"
00:19:25.76\00:19:30.27
Did the pagans
believe in a trinity?
00:19:30.30\00:19:34.20
They did, there are
pagan beliefs in a trinity.
00:19:34.24\00:19:38.51
So, because the
pagans believed in something,
00:19:38.54\00:19:41.31
we should reject it out
of hand, what do you think?
00:19:41.34\00:19:47.95
Go to Ezekiel chapter 8 just
for a moment since our minds
00:19:47.98\00:19:52.82
were in this historical
context in Ezekiel chapter 8.
00:19:52.85\00:20:02.83
There, God is
bringing a court case,
00:20:04.23\00:20:09.04
some legal
proceedings against his people.
00:20:09.07\00:20:12.44
And he's speaking about
the abominations of Israel.
00:20:12.47\00:20:16.81
In Ezekiel 8, we are
brought to the sanctuary.
00:20:16.85\00:20:20.78
We'll come again to
the sanctuary, God willing,
00:20:20.82\00:20:23.15
before we
finish our study today.
00:20:23.18\00:20:25.59
But in Ezekiel 8, we read
these words in verse 13 and 14,
00:20:25.62\00:20:31.19
"And he," speaking of God, "said
to me," this is Ezekiel writing,
00:20:31.23\00:20:35.53
"'Turn again and you
will see greater abominations
00:20:35.56\00:20:39.07
that they are doing.'
00:20:39.10\00:20:40.97
So, he brought me to
the door of the north gate
00:20:41.00\00:20:44.21
of the Lord's house.
00:20:44.24\00:20:46.11
And to my dismay,
women were sitting there
00:20:46.14\00:20:49.84
weeping for Tammuz."
00:20:49.88\00:20:54.32
Now, who was Tammuz?
00:20:54.35\00:20:57.72
Tammuz was one of
the Babylonian trinity.
00:20:57.75\00:21:01.86
He was, in some
renditions of the mythology,
00:21:01.89\00:21:05.66
he was the boy king that
came to deliver his people,
00:21:05.69\00:21:10.70
and then died
and was resurrected.
00:21:10.73\00:21:14.27
Is this starting to
sound familiar to some of you?
00:21:14.30\00:21:17.47
So, because the pagans believed
in a child king that died and
00:21:17.51\00:21:22.21
was resurrected, we should
reject out of hand anything that
00:21:22.24\00:21:27.42
speaks about a boy king who
would die and be resurrected,
00:21:27.45\00:21:31.62
what do you think?
00:21:31.65\00:21:33.36
Would this be a good approach?
00:21:33.39\00:21:34.72
You say, "Of course not."
00:21:34.76\00:21:37.06
Are you aware that Satan in
his wisdom counterfeits things
00:21:37.09\00:21:42.16
not only that have happened,
but things that he knew
00:21:42.20\00:21:45.73
prophetically that God
had revealed would happen?
00:21:45.77\00:21:49.17
Is it any surprise?
00:21:49.20\00:21:51.71
And so, the fact that
there is a real God head
00:21:51.74\00:21:55.01
with three persons,
it should be no surprise
00:21:55.04\00:21:58.21
that there is a false trinity.
00:21:58.25\00:22:00.58
And to say because
the Babylonians believed
00:22:00.62\00:22:02.78
in a trinity,
therefore we should reject it,
00:22:02.82\00:22:05.89
would be just as erroneous as
saying because the Babylonians
00:22:05.92\00:22:09.82
believed in a God
that was resurrected,
00:22:09.86\00:22:11.96
we should reject the
resurrection of Christ.
00:22:11.99\00:22:14.83
In fact, there were
some apparently in Paul's day
00:22:14.86\00:22:17.73
who were not
teaching the resurrection,
00:22:17.77\00:22:19.87
considering themselves
among the Christian fold,
00:22:19.90\00:22:22.74
and Paul said they
are most miserable.
00:22:22.77\00:22:26.47
Do you remember that?
00:22:26.51\00:22:31.51
Some of you I know are engaged
in commercial activities.
00:22:32.81\00:22:37.19
Some of you might
even run your own business.
00:22:37.22\00:22:40.32
Some of you tuning
in can relate to this.
00:22:40.36\00:22:43.19
How many of you are aware
they counterfeit $100 bills?
00:22:43.22\00:22:47.13
Are you aware of this?
00:22:47.13\00:22:48.96
They counterfeit $100 bills.
00:22:49.00\00:22:51.00
I've heard that they do
not counterfeit $1 bills.
00:22:51.03\00:22:56.37
So, what do you think?
00:22:56.40\00:22:58.01
Wouldn't it be safer if
you were in business to say
00:22:58.04\00:23:00.34
you only accept $1 bills?
00:23:00.38\00:23:03.88
What would this do to
your commercial experience?
00:23:03.91\00:23:08.85
I would suggest you would--it
would likely impoverish you.
00:23:08.88\00:23:14.32
Are you following
along with the metaphor?
00:23:14.36\00:23:18.13
If we try to avoid anything
that has any possibility of
00:23:18.16\00:23:21.80
compromise in the spiritual
realm, we will likely impoverish
00:23:21.83\00:23:25.87
ourselves in the
spiritual realm as well.
00:23:25.90\00:23:29.20
And so, as we look at
the Holy Spirit's work,
00:23:29.24\00:23:32.11
it is a mysterious work.
00:23:32.14\00:23:34.54
Just because the Holy Spirit is
hard to pin down, just because
00:23:34.58\00:23:38.11
he seems to be
shrouded in mystery in the Bible
00:23:38.15\00:23:42.28
is not a reason to
reject his personality.
00:23:42.32\00:23:45.82
We'll be studying that
throughout this quarter.
00:23:45.85\00:23:48.92
There's a text that speaks
with particular power to us,
00:23:48.96\00:23:51.93
and I think someone
actually has that for us.
00:23:51.96\00:23:54.00
We'll look at it in a moment.
00:23:54.00\00:23:55.60
It's from Deuteronomy
chapter 29 and verse 29,
00:23:55.63\00:23:59.87
Deuteronomy 29 and verse 29.
00:23:59.90\00:24:02.97
But before we go there,
I want to just point out
00:24:03.00\00:24:05.81
one other thing for you.
00:24:05.84\00:24:08.68
And there's going to be
an argument that some people
00:24:08.71\00:24:10.88
will be using as
we study this lesson.
00:24:10.91\00:24:13.45
And they'll be saying, "I
don't believe in the Holy Spirit
00:24:13.48\00:24:16.75
as a person of the
Godhead because the pioneers
00:24:16.79\00:24:20.79
didn't believe
in the Holy Spirit."
00:24:20.82\00:24:23.66
Are you aware that back during
the great advent movement back
00:24:23.69\00:24:28.20
in the 1830s and
1840s, before there was even
00:24:28.23\00:24:32.30
a Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:24:32.33\00:24:34.24
when there was a
renewed spirit of inquiry
00:24:34.27\00:24:36.87
as far as the Scriptures,
many people were throwing off
00:24:36.91\00:24:40.41
these false ideas that
had crept into the churches.
00:24:40.44\00:24:44.08
And they just wanted to
take the Bible as it read.
00:24:44.11\00:24:47.02
By the way, is that
a good thing or not?
00:24:47.05\00:24:49.38
That's a wonderful thing.
00:24:49.42\00:24:51.42
And to that background, the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:24:51.45\00:24:53.82
traces its roots.
00:24:53.86\00:24:56.93
But in that period of time
when they were throwing off
00:24:56.96\00:24:59.56
everything, some good things
got placed off to the side.
00:24:59.59\00:25:04.07
And one of them was
the truth of the trinity.
00:25:04.10\00:25:07.64
And so, it is true that early
in the history of the Advent
00:25:07.67\00:25:11.24
movement, before there even was
a Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:25:11.27\00:25:14.04
many of those who became
involved in this movement didn't
00:25:14.08\00:25:16.51
fully realize the full
working of the Holy Spirit,
00:25:16.54\00:25:21.28
and that it was
indeed God himself,
00:25:21.32\00:25:25.42
one of the three
persons of the Godhead.
00:25:25.45\00:25:29.39
Now, I tell you that background
because you know throughout
00:25:29.42\00:25:32.83
scriptural history many good
people sincerely led by the Lord
00:25:32.86\00:25:38.10
had grievous misconceptions
about what God wanted.
00:25:38.13\00:25:42.84
Let me just give you one
example, this is one that
00:25:42.87\00:25:45.04
occurs a number of
times in the Old Testament.
00:25:45.07\00:25:47.44
Turn in your Bibles to 2
Kings chapter 15, 2 Kings 15.
00:25:47.48\00:25:57.49
So, I'm turning to this record
of someone who, for much of his
00:25:57.69\00:26:02.06
reign, was one of the great
kings of Israel, 2 Kings 15.
00:26:02.09\00:26:08.60
This king known
Azariah or Uzziah.
00:26:08.63\00:26:12.33
We read something
very interesting about him.
00:26:12.37\00:26:16.40
In 2 Kings 15, we're
reading about how he reigned.
00:26:16.44\00:26:22.28
And it gives an
interesting commendation to him.
00:26:22.31\00:26:27.02
2 Kings 15,
picking up in verse2.
00:26:27.05\00:26:31.29
And again, this is a
king called Azariah or Uzziah.
00:26:31.32\00:26:37.06
It said he was 16 years
old when he became king,
00:26:37.09\00:26:40.43
and he reigned 52
years in Jerusalem.
00:26:40.46\00:26:44.00
In verse 3, "He did what was
right in the sight of the Lord
00:26:44.03\00:26:48.60
according to all that
his father Amaziah had done,
00:26:48.64\00:26:52.14
except that the high
places were not removed.
00:26:52.17\00:26:57.11
The people still
sacrificed and burned incense
00:26:57.15\00:27:01.45
on those high places."
00:27:01.48\00:27:05.25
Now, here's the
question for you.
00:27:05.29\00:27:07.82
This was the same king that
ultimately was so blessed by
00:27:07.86\00:27:11.03
God, you read that in Chronicles
that he took glory to himself,
00:27:11.06\00:27:16.90
and sought to take
the role of the priest,
00:27:16.93\00:27:19.83
and was struck with leprosy.
00:27:19.87\00:27:21.60
You remembering the story?
00:27:21.64\00:27:23.34
But what does it say about him?
00:27:23.37\00:27:24.84
He was doing right in
the sight of the Lord,
00:27:24.87\00:27:26.64
but he did not do
something, what did he not do?
00:27:26.68\00:27:31.51
He didn't
remove the high places,
00:27:31.55\00:27:33.75
these places of false worship.
00:27:33.78\00:27:35.78
How could someone be so blind?
00:27:35.82\00:27:40.76
Are you following along?
00:27:40.79\00:27:42.46
Someone can be led by God,
they can be blessed by God,
00:27:42.49\00:27:46.33
but they can have blind spots.
00:27:46.36\00:27:48.73
Don't let any human be
your standard of comparison,
00:27:48.76\00:27:52.40
no matter how
mightily they are used by God.
00:27:52.43\00:27:55.64
Look to the Word itself.
00:27:55.67\00:27:57.54
As we look to the Word this week
and throughout this quarter,
00:27:57.57\00:28:00.68
you're going to see the
Holy Spirit as a person,
00:28:00.71\00:28:03.28
as a member of the Godhead.
00:28:03.31\00:28:05.28
And we'll get a glimpse
of that in just a moment.
00:28:05.31\00:28:07.45
We have a Scripture right now
that is going to be read from
00:28:07.48\00:28:11.02
Deuteronomy 29, verse 29.
00:28:11.05\00:28:14.06
female: The secret things
belong unto to the Lord our God,
00:28:15.32\00:28:19.23
but those things which
are revealed belong unto us
00:28:19.26\00:28:22.96
and to our children forever,
that we may do all the words
00:28:23.00\00:28:27.34
of this law.
00:28:27.37\00:28:29.94
Dr. DeRose:So God, does
he reveal everything to us?
00:28:29.97\00:28:36.34
I have to--I had a struggle this
week as I was looking at this
00:28:36.38\00:28:40.85
because it struck me that
the Holy Spirit was so humble.
00:28:40.88\00:28:45.75
I mean, the Holy Spirit,
when we looked last week,
00:28:45.79\00:28:47.69
the Holy Spirit is the one
who inspired the whole Bible.
00:28:47.72\00:28:53.33
But there's no book that
starts out, "Written by John
00:28:53.36\00:28:57.13
under the power
of the Holy Spirit."
00:28:57.17\00:28:59.37
The Holy Spirit is
very much in the background,
00:28:59.40\00:29:01.60
have you noticed that?
00:29:01.64\00:29:03.67
In fact, so much in the
background that we can lose
00:29:03.71\00:29:06.37
sight of the mighty
working of the Holy Spirit.
00:29:06.41\00:29:09.14
And the struggle I had is
I was starting to ask myself
00:29:09.18\00:29:12.28
a really stupid question.
00:29:12.31\00:29:14.15
And that is, "Who is the
most humble among the Godhead?"
00:29:14.18\00:29:20.56
You see, when Jesus
was on this earth, he said,
00:29:20.59\00:29:24.33
"If you've seen me,
you've seen the Father," right?
00:29:24.36\00:29:29.66
When we see any
member of the Godhead,
00:29:29.70\00:29:32.13
we're seeing the personality
of the entire triune God.
00:29:32.17\00:29:38.84
And so, the Holy
Spirit in its humility.
00:29:38.87\00:29:41.98
I was thinking about this
in light of my background.
00:29:42.01\00:29:44.61
As a physician, I had
to go to medical school.
00:29:44.65\00:29:49.18
And as I think back on those
medical school days, now maybe
00:29:49.22\00:29:52.99
some of my classmates were
this way, but I'm just going
00:29:53.02\00:29:55.09
to be honest with
you, medical students,
00:29:55.12\00:29:57.66
as I recount my experience,
as I recall what I went through,
00:29:57.69\00:30:01.73
they are among the most
humble people in the world.
00:30:01.76\00:30:05.40
Now, it seems ironic because
doctors have a reputation
00:30:05.43\00:30:10.74
for anything but
humility, don't they?
00:30:10.77\00:30:13.94
But as medical students,
really they seem very humble.
00:30:13.98\00:30:17.28
Now, I guess, you know, in
certain circles, they could've
00:30:17.31\00:30:19.35
been arrogant that they were
admitted into medical school
00:30:19.38\00:30:22.52
or--but there's just
something totally humbling
00:30:22.55\00:30:26.49
about the experience.
00:30:26.52\00:30:28.06
I remember one day
sitting in my room,
00:30:28.09\00:30:29.76
I think I was
studying microbiology.
00:30:29.79\00:30:32.96
And you have to realize if
you got into medical school,
00:30:32.99\00:30:35.56
you had a history of
mastering your classes when you
00:30:35.60\00:30:37.80
were in college, okay?
00:30:37.83\00:30:39.60
You know, you got a finite
amount of material to learn,
00:30:39.63\00:30:41.54
and you would master
that, do well on the test.
00:30:41.57\00:30:44.01
And those are the kind
of people who typically got
00:30:44.04\00:30:45.71
into medical school.
00:30:45.74\00:30:47.24
But in medical school, I was
sitting there with microbiology.
00:30:47.28\00:30:53.31
I mean, I'd never
heard of naegleria fowleri,
00:30:53.35\00:30:56.95
or you know,
citrobacter, or pseudomonas.
00:30:56.99\00:31:01.62
I mean, these are all
these strange--and I'm looking
00:31:01.66\00:31:04.19
at this, and I looked
at my notes, and I looked
00:31:04.23\00:31:06.36
at all these textbooks,
and I looked at my watch.
00:31:06.39\00:31:11.90
And really, really, I said,
00:31:11.93\00:31:13.90
"There is absolutely no
way I could learn this."
00:31:13.94\00:31:17.11
And I just--I just
got so discouraged,
00:31:17.14\00:31:19.17
I couldn't even study really.
00:31:19.21\00:31:22.41
There was just too much
material, it was impossible.
00:31:22.44\00:31:25.31
The National Boards
could test you on any aspect
00:31:25.35\00:31:28.05
of microbiology, and
biochemistry, and anatomy.
00:31:28.08\00:31:31.09
How could anyone learn it all?
00:31:31.12\00:31:35.62
Fortunately, the Lord said,
00:31:36.99\00:31:40.03
"David, you don't
have to learn it all.
00:31:40.06\00:31:42.86
Just learn something in
the hour that you have."
00:31:42.90\00:31:46.63
I think that was the next day
that I came to that realization.
00:31:46.67\00:31:50.21
And I tell you that
story because, to me,
00:31:50.24\00:31:54.31
it strikes me a lot of
how the Holy Spirit is.
00:31:54.34\00:31:57.71
We can learn about the
Holy Spirit, but it seems
00:31:57.75\00:32:00.85
like God has never fully
revealed all we'd like to know.
00:32:00.88\00:32:06.12
So, instead of me feeling like,
"I've mastered the Holy Spirit.
00:32:06.15\00:32:09.76
Oh, I'm so glad I'm here
at the Granite Bay Church
00:32:09.79\00:32:11.79
'cause they've
mastered the Holy Spirit here.
00:32:11.83\00:32:14.30
And we're just going to come,
and in a quarter, we're going
00:32:14.36\00:32:17.53
to--you know, we're
just going to know everything
00:32:17.57\00:32:19.30
about the Holy Spirit.
00:32:19.33\00:32:20.87
And then the whole
church will have to come to us
00:32:20.90\00:32:22.87
because we know all
about the Holy Spirit."
00:32:22.90\00:32:26.04
But the Holy Spirit
is shrouded in mystery.
00:32:26.07\00:32:28.74
And I believe it's partly
because the only way we can
00:32:28.78\00:32:31.95
fully receive the Holy Spirit is
if we realize how needy we are.
00:32:31.98\00:32:39.45
We have to come humbly.
00:32:39.49\00:32:42.39
So, the study of the Holy
Spirit doesn't increase my sense
00:32:42.42\00:32:48.30
of how much I know, but it
increases the sense of my need.
00:32:48.33\00:32:55.40
And so, God does not reveal all
the details about the Spirit,
00:32:55.44\00:33:00.41
but we see
glimpses in how he works.
00:33:00.44\00:33:04.11
Let's look at Monday's lesson
as the Holy Spirit first appears
00:33:04.15\00:33:08.75
upon the scene of the canon.
00:33:08.78\00:33:11.62
As the Bible is being given, the
very first book of the Torah,
00:33:11.65\00:33:15.99
the book of Genesis, we are
introduced to the Holy Spirit.
00:33:16.02\00:33:21.80
In Genesis chapter 1, as
we read the creation account,
00:33:21.83\00:33:25.20
it's a fascinating
account missed by many
00:33:25.23\00:33:28.24
who read the
account in the English.
00:33:28.27\00:33:31.34
But we're going to read
it in the English anyway,
00:33:31.37\00:33:34.48
and we'll try to draw out
some of the Hebrew nuances.
00:33:34.51\00:33:38.95
The history of creation, it
begins in Genesis 1, verse 1.
00:33:38.98\00:33:42.45
"In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth.
00:33:42.48\00:33:47.16
The earth was without
form and void, and darkness was
00:33:47.19\00:33:50.03
on the face of the deep, and
the Spirit of God was hovering
00:33:50.06\00:33:55.06
over the face of the waters."
00:33:55.10\00:33:58.10
Now, what we don't pick
up in the English is that
00:33:58.13\00:34:02.27
the God of Genesis 1
is introduced differently
00:34:02.30\00:34:05.77
as the God of Genesis 2.
00:34:05.81\00:34:08.41
In Genesis 1, the name for
God, the Hebrew term for God
00:34:08.44\00:34:12.01
in Genesis 1 is Elohim,
as opposed to the perhaps
00:34:12.05\00:34:16.58
more familiar term for God
that we'll usually translate
00:34:16.62\00:34:20.82
into the English
as Jehovah or Yahweh.
00:34:20.86\00:34:25.63
So, Jehovah or
Yahweh, that's self-existent,
00:34:25.66\00:34:27.86
eternal God, the I Am.
00:34:27.93\00:34:30.60
On the other hand, in
Genesis 1, it's Elohim.
00:34:30.63\00:34:33.77
Elohim is a plural, it
is a plural term for God.
00:34:33.80\00:34:39.01
In fact, the very name used for
God in Genesis 1 is telling us,
00:34:39.04\00:34:43.78
it's giving us a clue that God
is only understood in plurality.
00:34:43.81\00:34:49.55
And so, we see in this
plurality that God is creating.
00:34:49.58\00:34:55.52
And not only as we read through
Scripture do we see that Jesus
00:34:55.56\00:34:59.96
is often displayed as the active
agent of creation, we find that
00:35:00.06\00:35:04.97
in places like Colossians
1, but we also see in the very
00:35:05.00\00:35:10.27
beginning that something
is hovering over the waters.
00:35:10.31\00:35:15.81
Who is that?
00:35:15.84\00:35:18.11
it's the Spirit, it's the
ruach, it's the breath of God.
00:35:18.15\00:35:22.32
And so, as we're reading
that, our mind might be going
00:35:22.35\00:35:26.72
in several directions,
but we want to just focus
00:35:26.76\00:35:29.76
on this creation
account a little longer.
00:35:29.79\00:35:32.36
Because if you haven't
looked at this in a while,
00:35:32.39\00:35:34.56
if you're missing the
plurality of God in the account,
00:35:34.60\00:35:37.80
look at verse 26 of Genesis 1.
00:35:37.83\00:35:43.81
Because it says there,
"Then God said," again Elohim,
00:35:43.84\00:35:47.38
this plural God, "let
us make men in our image,
00:35:47.41\00:35:53.98
according to our likeness."
00:35:54.02\00:35:57.02
Verse 27, "So God
created man in his own image,
00:35:57.05\00:36:00.96
in the image of
God he created him.
00:36:00.99\00:36:03.76
Male and female
he created them."
00:36:03.79\00:36:07.13
So, when God is creating in his
image, he must create in what?
00:36:07.13\00:36:11.63
In plurality.
00:36:11.67\00:36:13.67
And so, man and woman
are created to--you say,
00:36:13.70\00:36:16.71
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait."
00:36:16.74\00:36:19.07
You know, this isn't
really advanced math.
00:36:19.11\00:36:21.61
You've got man and
woman, that's how many?
00:36:21.64\00:36:24.45
Two.
00:36:24.48\00:36:26.15
And we've got the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
00:36:26.18\00:36:28.68
that's three.
00:36:28.72\00:36:30.85
So, why does God
create two if we're being made
00:36:30.89\00:36:34.39
in his image and he's three?"
00:36:34.42\00:36:38.49
Okay, I see a number
of you have the answer,
00:36:39.49\00:36:41.90
and I'm glad you got
it all straightened out
00:36:41.93\00:36:44.37
because I'm not
sure I understand
00:36:44.40\00:36:45.97
all the dimensions of that.
00:36:46.00\00:36:47.97
But here's the
point, here's the point.
00:36:48.00\00:36:50.64
From the very
language of Genesis 1,
00:36:50.67\00:36:54.84
God is creating in plurality.
00:36:54.88\00:36:56.78
There is something interesting,
and maybe I should mention it
00:36:56.81\00:36:59.11
because this has
been misunderstood
00:36:59.15\00:37:00.95
about the creation.
00:37:00.98\00:37:02.52
Some of you may be thinking
of one of the beautiful poems
00:37:02.55\00:37:04.72
in American history that speaks
of God being lonely and saying,
00:37:04.75\00:37:11.13
"Therefore I
will create a world."
00:37:11.16\00:37:13.93
But in the triune God, there was
perfect fellowship and harmony.
00:37:13.96\00:37:18.27
God didn't create
out of need, in a sense.
00:37:18.30\00:37:22.70
He created out of love, his
desire to share the fullness
00:37:22.74\00:37:26.78
that was already in the Godhead.
00:37:26.81\00:37:28.88
So yes, there's a certain sense
in which God needs each one
00:37:28.91\00:37:32.98
of us, he loves each
one of us as individuals.
00:37:33.01\00:37:35.88
But there's also a sense
in which God doesn't create
00:37:35.92\00:37:38.89
out of need, he
creates out of abundance.
00:37:38.92\00:37:41.72
And so, I believe that
that's what that triune God
00:37:41.76\00:37:45.29
expresses to us.
00:37:45.33\00:37:47.36
But let's look a little
bit more about this imagery of
00:37:47.40\00:37:49.73
the Holy Spirit
hovering over the waters.
00:37:49.76\00:37:54.47
I appreciate this
comment in the lesson.
00:37:54.50\00:37:57.11
You find it there
in Monday's lesson.
00:37:57.14\00:38:00.64
And it brings us back
to the Hebrew for hovering.
00:38:00.68\00:38:05.15
It says it's the very
same word that is used in
00:38:05.18\00:38:08.42
Deuteronomy 32:11, where God
is compared to an eagle hovering
00:38:08.45\00:38:14.82
over the nest of young.
00:38:14.86\00:38:17.33
So, this terminology that's used
is that the Spirit is actively
00:38:17.36\00:38:22.00
engaged, even though
it's not a--it doesn't appear
00:38:22.03\00:38:25.30
to be a hands-on engagement.
00:38:25.33\00:38:28.07
Now, if you think that settles
the question, someone is going
00:38:28.10\00:38:30.54
to be reading for us from
Psalms 8 in just a moment.
00:38:30.57\00:38:34.78
But before we go to Psalms 8,
we want to go to a New Testament
00:38:34.81\00:38:38.51
illustration that's
going to give us some insight
00:38:38.55\00:38:41.15
into this very topic.
00:38:41.18\00:38:43.08
And the New
Testament, if you turn with me
00:38:43.12\00:38:45.72
to Matthew chapter 12, we're
going to Matthew chapter 12
00:38:45.75\00:38:50.06
for a few reasons.
00:38:50.09\00:38:51.99
Matthew chapter 12.
00:38:52.03\00:38:55.96
I can remember when I was
back in--well, I won't tell you
00:38:56.00\00:39:00.94
where I was so as
not to implicate anyone,
00:39:00.97\00:39:04.74
but I was in a place where
there's a very strong group
00:39:04.77\00:39:09.38
of Bible believers who rejected
any notion of a Holy Spirit
00:39:09.41\00:39:16.12
that was really a person.
00:39:16.15\00:39:18.65
And in fact, instead of
strengthening their ministry, it
00:39:18.69\00:39:21.89
seemed to only undermine it.
00:39:21.92\00:39:25.69
And I read these very
sobering words, Jesus' words
00:39:25.73\00:39:28.46
in Matthew 12, verses 31 and 32.
00:39:28.50\00:39:31.80
Jesus said that he did
his great works through
00:39:31.83\00:39:34.80
the power of the Holy Spirit.
00:39:34.84\00:39:37.07
And so, here he
says in verse 31,
00:39:37.11\00:39:39.04
"Therefore I say to
you every sin and blasphemy
00:39:39.07\00:39:42.98
will be forgiven
man, but the blasphemy
00:39:43.01\00:39:45.45
against the Spirit
will not be forgiven man.
00:39:45.48\00:39:48.85
Anyone who speaks a
word against the Son of Man,
00:39:48.88\00:39:51.02
it will be forgiven him.
00:39:51.05\00:39:52.99
But whoever speaks
against the Holy Spirit,
00:39:53.02\00:39:55.99
it will not be forgiven him,
00:39:56.02\00:39:57.76
either in this age
or in the age to come."
00:39:57.79\00:40:01.30
And of course, we usually apply
this terminology of the sin
00:40:01.33\00:40:04.73
against the Holy Spirit to a sin
of totally rejecting the work of
00:40:04.77\00:40:08.74
the Holy Spirit on the heart,
rejecting God's wooing of us,
00:40:08.77\00:40:14.64
closing the doors to repentance.
00:40:14.68\00:40:16.95
And I think
that's very accurate.
00:40:16.98\00:40:18.65
But as we think about the work
of the Holy Spirit, what was
00:40:18.68\00:40:21.58
really happening in Jesus' day
is the work of the Holy Spirit
00:40:21.62\00:40:25.59
was being undermined.
00:40:25.62\00:40:27.46
What was being done by
the Holy Spirit was being said
00:40:27.49\00:40:30.16
to be done by an unholy spirit.
00:40:30.19\00:40:34.20
Now, look just a few
verses above that in verse 28.
00:40:34.20\00:40:40.74
Jesus was being accused of
casting out demons by demons.
00:40:40.77\00:40:44.01
He said in verse 28, "But if
I casted out demons," by what?
00:40:44.04\00:40:48.88
"By the Spirit of God,
surely the kingdom of God
00:40:48.91\00:40:53.05
has come upon you."
00:40:53.08\00:40:56.65
Now, when we're reading the
gospels, I don't know if you
00:40:56.69\00:40:59.09
have this habit, it's a valuable
one if you've not developed it,
00:40:59.12\00:41:02.42
but look at the
parallel passages
00:41:02.46\00:41:05.76
in the other gospel writers.
00:41:05.79\00:41:07.40
Have you done that?
00:41:07.46\00:41:09.10
in the old days, we
used to have to have a book,
00:41:09.13\00:41:11.27
I have one on my shelf,
00:41:11.30\00:41:12.77
it's called "The
Harmony of the Gospels."
00:41:12.80\00:41:15.40
And it would put side by
side what Matthew said about
00:41:15.44\00:41:18.81
an account, and what
Mark said, and what Luke said,
00:41:18.84\00:41:22.21
for example, okay?
00:41:22.24\00:41:24.08
All side by side, and you
can read and compare them.
00:41:24.11\00:41:27.22
Let's do that right now.
00:41:27.25\00:41:28.92
You may not have a "Harmony
of the Gospels" with you,
00:41:28.95\00:41:30.59
I don't either, but I'm
going to turn in my Bible
00:41:30.62\00:41:32.79
to a parallel account.
00:41:32.82\00:41:34.69
And I'm going to guess where?
00:41:34.72\00:41:37.59
Luke chapter 11, verse 20.
00:41:37.63\00:41:40.70
Some of you have study
Bibles, and it told you that
00:41:40.73\00:41:43.16
that parallel
account is found in Luke 11.
00:41:43.20\00:41:47.20
And in Luke 11, we're going to
find something very interesting
00:41:47.24\00:41:51.01
about the language
that Luke recorded.
00:41:51.04\00:41:55.41
And we might make a
comment or two about that.
00:41:55.44\00:41:58.71
Luke 11, verse 20, very
same account, Jesus being
00:41:58.75\00:42:02.42
accused of casting out
demons through Satan's power.
00:42:02.45\00:42:07.22
And look what he says in verse
20, "But if I cast out demons,"
00:42:07.26\00:42:12.23
what did it say in
Matthew, do you remember?
00:42:12.26\00:42:14.93
By the Spirit of God
or by the Holy Spirit.
00:42:14.93\00:42:18.43
Here he says, "If I cast out
demons with the finger of God,
00:42:18.47\00:42:26.27
surely the kingdom of
God has come upon you."
00:42:26.31\00:42:30.95
Now, we're going to go to
Psalms chapter 8, verse 3 and 4,
00:42:30.98\00:42:36.52
Psalms 8, 3 and 4.
00:42:36.55\00:42:38.35
Listen carefully to the words.
00:42:38.39\00:42:40.89
male: "When I consider
thy heavens, the work of thy
00:42:40.92\00:42:44.06
fingers, the moon and the
stars which thou hast ordained,
00:42:44.09\00:42:48.76
what is man that
thou art mindful of him,
00:42:48.80\00:42:52.13
and the Son of Man
that thou visitest him?"
00:42:52.17\00:42:56.24
Dr. DeRose: Very
interesting, isn't it?
00:42:56.27\00:42:58.11
God in Psalms 8
creates how? With his finger.
00:42:58.14\00:43:04.78
Did God write
anything with his finger?
00:43:04.81\00:43:08.65
He wrote the 10 Commandments,
it says, with his own finger.
00:43:08.68\00:43:13.89
The Holy Spirit
inspires the Word to be written.
00:43:13.92\00:43:17.43
The Holy Spirit is
active in creation.
00:43:17.46\00:43:20.36
And then we read about
God's finger creating the world.
00:43:20.40\00:43:25.17
We say, "Well, wait,
but he created everything
00:43:25.20\00:43:27.30
by the breath of his mouth."
00:43:27.34\00:43:28.97
Have you read that
too? That's the Spirit.
00:43:29.00\00:43:32.17
Do you see?
00:43:32.21\00:43:33.78
As we study about the great acts
of creation and then we'll see
00:43:33.81\00:43:38.21
in salvation, we see the Spirit
kind of blurred in his identity,
00:43:38.25\00:43:44.52
but we catch these glimpses
throughout the Bible of God
00:43:44.55\00:43:48.52
having an active
agency, the Godhead working
00:43:48.56\00:43:51.63
through the Spirit.
00:43:51.66\00:43:54.00
Let's hasten on as we
look at Tuesday's lesson,
00:43:54.03\00:43:58.83
"The Holy Spirit
and the Sanctuary,"
00:43:58.87\00:44:01.80
the Holy Spirit
and the sanctuary.
00:44:01.84\00:44:06.88
And the key text there is found
at the beginning of that day's
00:44:06.91\00:44:10.65
study, where it says,
"Let them make me a sanctuary,
00:44:10.68\00:44:14.28
that I may dwell among them."
00:44:14.32\00:44:16.95
By the way, what is a sanctuary?
00:44:16.99\00:44:21.06
Where does it come from?
00:44:21.09\00:44:22.69
Where does the word
even come from in English?
00:44:22.72\00:44:25.99
Just like in the
Hebrew, it comes from a root
00:44:26.03\00:44:29.00
that refers to holy.
00:44:29.03\00:44:31.47
If you sanctify
something, you make it holy.
00:44:31.50\00:44:35.30
So, the sanctuary is literally
a holy place, a holy thing.
00:44:35.34\00:44:40.94
So, God is asking for a
holy place that just happened
00:44:40.98\00:44:44.35
to have a
special holy place in it,
00:44:44.38\00:44:46.78
and then a most
holy place within it.
00:44:46.82\00:44:49.05
Are you following along?
00:44:49.08\00:44:50.89
And so, God is
revealing that all that
00:44:50.92\00:44:53.25
has to do with him is holy.
00:44:53.29\00:44:55.02
And so, one of the
themes in the sanctuary
00:44:55.06\00:44:57.63
is holiness to the Lord.
00:44:57.66\00:44:59.53
What is the name for the Spirit?
00:44:59.56\00:45:01.30
What is the name
given to the Spirit?
00:45:01.33\00:45:03.50
The Holy
Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
00:45:03.53\00:45:08.17
Could people be
possessed by unclean spirits
00:45:08.20\00:45:12.87
in the Old Testament?
00:45:12.91\00:45:16.38
We won't look at examples,
I think they immediately
00:45:16.41\00:45:18.51
come to mind.
00:45:18.55\00:45:20.28
Were these unclean spirits,
did they have personalities?
00:45:20.32\00:45:24.29
Or was it just an
ethereal evil power?
00:45:24.32\00:45:27.89
No, sometimes the unclean
spirits even spoke, right?
00:45:27.92\00:45:31.66
And they gave their
names, at least on one account.
00:45:31.69\00:45:34.86
"We're Legion."
00:45:34.93\00:45:37.07
So, why should it be surprising
that the Holy Spirit would be
00:45:37.10\00:45:41.54
a person that could take
possession of those who are
00:45:41.57\00:45:46.74
surrendered to his working?
00:45:46.78\00:45:49.81
Turn in your Bibles
to Isaiah chapter 57.
00:45:49.84\00:45:53.58
Isaiah 57, a very interesting
Scripture that ties together
00:45:53.62\00:45:58.72
some of these themes of humility
and God's Spirit filling work.
00:45:58.75\00:46:08.70
Isaiah 57, verse 15.
00:46:08.73\00:46:12.93
Isaiah 57, verse 15, "For thus
says the high and lofty one,
00:46:12.97\00:46:19.14
who inhabits
eternity, whose name is holy,
00:46:19.17\00:46:24.48
'I dwell in the
high and holy place,'"
00:46:24.51\00:46:28.05
we could say the sanctuary,
"with him who has a contrite
00:46:28.08\00:46:32.79
and humble spirit to
revive the spirit of the humble
00:46:32.82\00:46:37.43
and to revive the
heart of the contrite ones."
00:46:37.46\00:46:41.46
God is showing us
the qualifications for us
00:46:41.50\00:46:44.63
to be his sanctuary.
00:46:44.67\00:46:46.40
And so, when John in chapter
1 is speaking of Jesus coming
00:46:46.43\00:46:49.37
to the earth, it says
he came and dwelt among us.
00:46:49.40\00:46:53.38
It's literally he
tabernacled among us.
00:46:53.41\00:46:56.68
He made his sanctuary among us.
00:46:56.71\00:46:59.45
He made his holy place among us.
00:46:59.48\00:47:03.99
So, the Holy Spirit is revealed,
if you will, in the sanctuary.
00:47:04.02\00:47:08.26
And the Holy Spirit, if you
had a chance to study Exodus 31,
00:47:08.29\00:47:12.99
is the individual who
gives skill in the construction
00:47:13.03\00:47:18.73
of the sanctuary.
00:47:18.77\00:47:20.94
Very interesting connections.
00:47:20.97\00:47:23.64
Go with me now to Wednesday
and Thursday as we really focus
00:47:23.67\00:47:28.04
on the most powerful
manifestation of the Spirit.
00:47:28.08\00:47:32.35
Now, one of the things that we
have to do in medical circles,
00:47:32.38\00:47:37.52
and you may be aware of this,
sometimes this is not a noble
00:47:37.55\00:47:40.19
characteristic of physicians,
but we're taught to be very
00:47:40.22\00:47:43.12
critical in our thinking.
00:47:43.16\00:47:45.56
And if we're not--if we don't
do that, we can miss diagnoses.
00:47:45.59\00:47:49.93
Just this week, a patient came
to me with a diagnosis that they
00:47:49.96\00:47:53.77
had self-diagnosed themselves
with, and we always have to be
00:47:53.80\00:47:57.54
very careful that we
don't just go down the path
00:47:57.57\00:48:00.94
of what the
patient thinks they have.
00:48:00.98\00:48:03.51
We don't just dismiss
that, I don't, but we listen
00:48:03.55\00:48:06.95
and we try to analyze things.
00:48:06.98\00:48:08.68
So, we have to think critically.
00:48:08.72\00:48:10.52
Sometimes that's a bad thing
because we get overly critical
00:48:10.55\00:48:13.36
about things we
shouldn't be critical of.
00:48:13.39\00:48:15.56
And if you need to
remind me of that sometime,
00:48:15.59\00:48:17.43
you have perfect
permission to do that, okay?
00:48:17.46\00:48:20.30
Okay.
00:48:20.33\00:48:22.76
But here it makes a statement.
00:48:22.80\00:48:25.30
In Wednesday's lesson,
it says the Holy Spirit
00:48:25.33\00:48:29.67
was active during
Old Testament times.
00:48:29.70\00:48:32.54
I'm reading from the very
beginning of that lesson study.
00:48:32.57\00:48:36.85
Though it does not appear
that his work was as extensive
00:48:36.88\00:48:40.48
as in the New Testament era.
00:48:40.52\00:48:43.02
And so, I was asking myself
the questions, is this right?
00:48:43.05\00:48:45.49
Was the Holy Spirit less
active in the Old Testament
00:48:45.52\00:48:48.52
than the New?
00:48:48.56\00:48:50.43
Well, you can say at least as
far as the volume of revelation,
00:48:50.46\00:48:53.76
as far as the amount
of Scripture we have,
00:48:53.80\00:48:55.73
the Old Testament is
longer than the New, right?
00:48:55.76\00:48:59.20
But now granted, the Old
Testament was written over
00:48:59.23\00:49:01.87
a whole lot longer period
of time than the New Testament.
00:49:01.90\00:49:06.41
But the bottom line is the
Holy Spirit was active in both,
00:49:06.44\00:49:09.74
the Old and the New Testament.
00:49:09.78\00:49:11.98
But the Holy Spirit
takes front and center stage
00:49:12.01\00:49:15.92
when we see the
ministry of Jesus.
00:49:15.95\00:49:18.69
And in Thursday's lesson,
it calls our attention to some
00:49:18.72\00:49:21.89
of these details in
Jesus' life and ministry.
00:49:21.92\00:49:26.09
Go with me first to Luke chapter
1 as we're going to get there
00:49:26.13\00:49:31.63
a glimpse of the
origins of Jesus.
00:49:31.67\00:49:38.01
In Luke chapter 1, we're
going to start with verse 34.
00:49:38.04\00:49:43.11
Luke 1, verse 34.
00:49:43.14\00:49:45.85
So, the Holy Spirit may
have been taking what seems like
00:49:45.88\00:49:48.95
more of a back seat,
more of a less visible role
00:49:48.98\00:49:52.02
in the Old
Testament, but you can't avoid
00:49:52.05\00:49:56.69
the work of the Holy Spirit,
00:49:56.73\00:49:58.19
especially in the writings of
one who was trained and perhaps
00:49:58.23\00:50:01.83
some skepticism if
he was trained like me,
00:50:01.86\00:50:04.23
and that's Luke, who
also, you know, was a physician.
00:50:04.27\00:50:07.84
It is interesting to
point out that Luke had some of
00:50:07.87\00:50:10.61
the clearest descriptions of the
work of the Holy Spirit not only
00:50:10.64\00:50:13.98
in his gospel, but
in the book of Acts.
00:50:14.01\00:50:16.58
And if anyone would be
questioning the Holy Spirit
00:50:16.61\00:50:19.91
of the gospel writers, I would
suggest that Luke's background
00:50:19.95\00:50:22.75
as a Greek and as a physician
would have made him the one most
00:50:22.78\00:50:27.52
likely from a human
perspective to question the work
00:50:27.56\00:50:31.03
of the Holy Spirit.
00:50:31.06\00:50:32.66
And in fact, he's the
one who, in some respects,
00:50:32.69\00:50:34.73
most illuminates the working of
the Holy Spirit, which I think
00:50:34.76\00:50:37.37
is relevant as we
study this quarter together.
00:50:37.40\00:50:40.64
So, in Luke chapter 1,
beginning with verse 34,
00:50:40.67\00:50:45.21
we have this account
of the origins of Jesus.
00:50:45.24\00:50:48.98
The angel speaking to Mary
has already told her that she
00:50:49.01\00:50:53.18
is going to be the mother,
if you will, of the Messiah,
00:50:53.21\00:50:57.45
the Savior Jesus.
00:50:57.49\00:50:59.32
In verse 34, "Mary says to
the angel, 'How can this be
00:50:59.35\00:51:02.29
since I do not know a man?
00:51:02.32\00:51:03.99
I've not--I'm a virgin.'"
00:51:04.03\00:51:06.16
Verse 35, "And the angel
answered and said to her,
00:51:06.19\00:51:09.90
'The Holy Spirit
will come upon you,
00:51:09.93\00:51:12.93
and the power of the
Highest will overshadow you,
00:51:12.97\00:51:16.30
therefore also that
holy one who is to be born
00:51:16.34\00:51:21.31
will be called the Son of God.'"
00:51:21.34\00:51:24.78
That holy one, like the holy
sanctuary, this place where God
00:51:24.81\00:51:29.85
meets with his
people in the Old Testament.
00:51:29.88\00:51:32.02
Now, God is meeting
in the person of Jesus.
00:51:32.05\00:51:34.62
And the Holy Spirit is the one
00:51:34.66\00:51:36.22
who is bringing
this to fruition.
00:51:36.26\00:51:38.03
Just like he was
active in the creation,
00:51:38.06\00:51:40.53
just like he was
active in the building
00:51:40.56\00:51:42.76
of the Old Testament
sanctuary, he's now active
00:51:42.80\00:51:45.30
in the very origins
of the humanity of Jesus.
00:51:45.33\00:51:50.57
And what's interesting to
me, the application for us is,
00:51:50.61\00:51:53.68
you know,
sometimes we might be saying,
00:51:53.71\00:51:55.38
"Well, this seems
all so theoretical.
00:51:55.41\00:51:56.85
How is this practical?
00:51:56.88\00:51:58.18
What difference
does it make for us?"
00:51:58.21\00:51:59.48
As we study through this
lesson, one of the great texts
00:51:59.51\00:52:03.05
about the Holy Spirit is this.
00:52:03.08\00:52:06.99
And it's this idea that why does
it make a difference whether
00:52:07.02\00:52:10.69
the Holy Spirit is an individual
or the Holy Spirit is a power?
00:52:10.73\00:52:15.23
And the answer is given if
the Holy Spirit is just a power,
00:52:15.26\00:52:18.23
it's just a force, then
our focus becomes on trying
00:52:18.27\00:52:21.40
to possess more of this power.
00:52:21.44\00:52:24.67
Whereas if we realize the
Holy Spirit is an individual,
00:52:24.71\00:52:28.01
our focus becomes
being surrendered so that
00:52:28.04\00:52:33.11
the Holy Spirit will fill
us, so that we will be possessed
00:52:33.15\00:52:37.72
of the Holy Spirit, not
that we will possess a power.
00:52:37.75\00:52:41.16
Do you see the difference?
00:52:41.19\00:52:43.36
So, instead of an infusion of
the Holy Spirit being some kind
00:52:43.39\00:52:47.50
of ethereal power that gives
us standing in the Christian
00:52:47.56\00:52:50.77
church, the ones who
have the largest measure
00:52:50.80\00:52:53.90
of the Holy Spirit are
the ones who are like Mary.
00:52:53.94\00:52:56.50
What was Mary's qualification?
00:52:56.54\00:53:00.31
Look at verse 38, Luke 1.
00:53:00.34\00:53:03.41
Mary says, "Behold the
maidservant of the Lord.
00:53:03.45\00:53:08.12
Let it be to me
according to your Word."
00:53:08.15\00:53:12.62
What allows us to have
the Holy Spirit is humility
00:53:12.65\00:53:17.16
and surrender,
humility and surrender.
00:53:17.19\00:53:20.66
And I love verse 37.
00:53:20.70\00:53:22.96
If some of you are
struggling right now with things
00:53:23.00\00:53:25.53
in your life, verse
37, "For with God," what?
00:53:25.57\00:53:31.21
"Nothing will be impossible."
00:53:31.24\00:53:33.74
With God, nothing is impossible.
00:53:33.78\00:53:35.98
And how does he
bring the impossible,
00:53:36.01\00:53:38.95
the humanly
impossible to fruition?
00:53:38.98\00:53:43.18
It's through the Holy Spirit.
00:53:43.22\00:53:45.25
We're going to
look at another text,
00:53:45.29\00:53:47.22
and this text is
found in John 14.
00:53:47.26\00:53:49.82
Someone has for us
John 14:16 through 17.
00:53:49.86\00:53:53.73
And as we're preparing to
go there, Jesus spent some
00:53:53.76\00:53:57.27
of his longest personal
instruction with the disciples,
00:53:57.30\00:54:00.97
some would even say his longest
concentrated instruction,
00:54:01.00\00:54:04.61
in John, end of John 13 through
John 16, the end of John 16,
00:54:04.64\00:54:10.05
speaking to the disciples
about what would happen
00:54:10.08\00:54:13.05
after his departure.
00:54:13.08\00:54:15.02
And he talked about them
getting a special blessing.
00:54:15.05\00:54:19.25
But it wasn't just a blessing,
it was a special personality.
00:54:19.29\00:54:23.19
So, John chapter
14, verses 16 and 17.
00:54:23.22\00:54:28.56
female: "And I
will ask the Father,
00:54:28.60\00:54:30.57
and he will give you another
helper to be with you forever,
00:54:30.60\00:54:33.67
even the Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot receive
00:54:33.70\00:54:37.21
because it neither
sees him nor knows him.
00:54:37.24\00:54:40.28
You know him for he dwells
with you and will be in you."
00:54:40.31\00:54:44.85
Dr. DeRose: So, the Holy Spirit
was working during the ministry
00:54:44.88\00:54:48.65
of Jesus, but the disciples even
didn't fully appreciate the work
00:54:48.68\00:54:53.05
of the Spirit until Jesus left.
00:54:53.09\00:54:55.82
The Holy Spirit, his
name in the Greek, Parakletos.
00:54:55.86\00:55:00.33
Para, alongside
of; kletos, to call.
00:55:00.36\00:55:03.63
Comes from the root to call.
00:55:03.67\00:55:05.37
It's the one
called alongside of us.
00:55:05.40\00:55:07.80
Are you looking for
encouragement today?
00:55:07.84\00:55:10.57
Do you need God's guidance?
00:55:10.61\00:55:12.81
The Holy Spirit
is a real person.
00:55:12.84\00:55:16.95
The Holy Spirit
worked throughout history.
00:55:16.98\00:55:19.28
And that creative power,
that power that infused Jesus
00:55:19.31\00:55:24.05
with power for his
ministry is the same Holy Spirit
00:55:24.09\00:55:27.69
that wants to work in my
life and your life today.
00:55:27.72\00:55:31.69
If you want more on the subject
of the work of the Spirit,
00:55:31.73\00:55:35.20
our special offer is
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Next week, by God's
grace, we'll continue our study
00:55:55.22\00:55:58.69
of the Holy Spirit.
00:55:58.72\00:56:00.72
I would encourage you
to continue to dive into
00:56:00.76\00:56:03.69
understanding more of something
I don't think we'll ever fully
00:56:03.73\00:56:08.00
grasp, but that God wants us
to more fully recognize our need
00:56:08.03\00:56:11.50
for because he longs to
fill us with more of his Spirit.
00:56:11.53\00:56:15.87
female: "Amazing
Facts" has impacted my life.
00:56:17.87\00:56:19.97
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00:56:20.01\00:56:22.04
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actually did have an impact
00:56:22.08\00:56:23.75
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00:56:23.78\00:56:25.51
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getting to where I am today,
00:56:25.55\00:56:27.62
I feel good about that.
00:56:27.65\00:56:29.08
I did feel good at the end.
00:56:29.12\00:56:30.82
female: I began
reading the Bible.
00:56:30.85\00:56:34.12
male: I realized that
there had to be more to life.
00:56:34.16\00:56:36.46
male: God is really doing this.
00:56:36.49\00:56:38.26
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00:56:38.29\00:56:39.83
male: This
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00:56:44.33\00:56:47.74
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00:56:47.77\00:56:49.70
male: And then
the logo pops across,
00:56:49.74\00:56:51.51
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00:56:51.54\00:56:53.54
I've listened to a lot of
different ministers, but this
00:56:53.58\00:56:56.08
was the first time that
he's actually saying something
00:56:56.11\00:56:58.51
where I had to grab my
Bible and actually pick it up,
00:56:58.55\00:57:01.52
and, "I never heard this before.
00:57:01.55\00:57:03.69
Let me look
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00:57:03.72\00:57:05.75
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00:57:05.79\00:57:07.62
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00:57:07.66\00:57:09.36
Every single one of these
guys started being changed,
00:57:09.39\00:57:12.76
including myself.
00:57:12.79\00:57:14.56
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why did that happen to me, God?
00:57:14.60\00:57:17.43
The Lord was able to reach
out, and I actually saw him
00:57:17.47\00:57:20.77
as a Father.
00:57:20.80\00:57:22.60
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00:57:22.64\00:57:24.21
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00:57:24.24\00:57:26.24
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00:57:28.04\00:57:31.11
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00:57:31.15\00:57:34.72
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