Sermon
The Gifts of the Spirit | The Believer's conference 2025 day 4
Publisher transcript
Transcript
-
Hi there, welcome to NECF. We're excited to share
-
today's message with you. Don't go anywhere,
-
stay with us till the end for some valuable resources
-
to enrich your faith. Here's today's sermon.
-
All right, hallelujah. So we are welcome once
-
again. Today we have been going through many
-
teachings. Starting from our lead pastor to the
-
associate pastor, Pastor Victor, was taking us
-
through silent teaching. And I'm sure we have
-
been blessed. I'm sure we have been blessed.
-
I'm sure we are growing. And I'm sure that we
-
desire more, right? We are not tired of receiving.
-
We can't be tired of receiving. We are ready
-
to receive more and more and more and more. Hallelujah.
-
Because there's abundance in God's spirit. Hallelujah.
-
There's abundance in God's spirit to give unto
-
us, to give to his children. So this morning
-
we would be starting, I think I would say the
-
third direction for this conference. And the
-
title is The Gift of the Spirit. Right? The Gift
-
of the Spirit. The Gift of the Spirit. The gift
-
of the spirits. And to start with, I'd like us
-
to open to Ephesians 1. Start with Ephesians
-
1 this morning. Ephesians chapter 1. I'm using
Ephesians 1 chapter mention
-
my ESV Bible media team if you want to know,
-
right? So I'm using my NKJVs. I didn't bring
-
it today. So I'm going to use this. It's quite
-
difficult when you're functioning with a particular
-
Bible to easily switch like that. So I'm using
-
my ears. Will you walk with me with that? Can
-
we just pray the Holy Ghost as we are seated
-
here? I just want us to pray the Holy Ghost.
-
The prayer is that your mind is open to receive
-
the word of God. My mind is open to receive the
-
word of God. There is no distraction. There is
-
no confusion within my spirits. Can you just
-
pray? There is no destruction in my mind. I received
-
the word of God that has saved me that I may
-
be able to grow much more in Christ. My spirit
-
is a lot. My spirit is a lot to receive the word
-
of God. As the word comes into my ears, my spirit
-
receives it with joy. My spirit receives it with
-
joy. My spirit receives it with joy. I am strengthened.
-
I am strengthened as I listen to the word of
-
God. I am strengthened. No distractions. No distractions.
-
Oh, thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit.
-
Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus. In
-
Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So for the next two
-
days, we'll be going through this teaching, which
-
is the gift of the spirits. Myself and Pastor
-
Kirsten will take us through this. And it's going
-
to be quite, it's going to be a great blessing
-
because most of some of the things that have
-
been taught by our lead pastor, Pastor Fred and
-
Pastor Victor, some of them will pop up again.
-
Right. And that shows us that the scripture,
-
right, explains itself. Right. The scripture
-
is not a disjoint material, but a book spiritually.
-
How can I put it? Put together that the topics,
-
right, the topics pertaining to the things of
-
the spirit actually so connected. So we're going
-
to see some of those things again and they will
-
help us to to grow in knowledge of Christ. So
-
let's start. I would like us to read this entire
-
chapter, actually, because this is where we are
-
starting from. The gift of the Spirit. We'll
-
start from the understanding of what is spiritual.
-
But we'll try to understand what is the Spirit.
-
Right? We'll try to understand what is the Spirit.
-
We'll start from spiritual. We'll try to understand
-
what is the Spirit or who is the Spirit. Much
-
better. And the promise of the Spirit. Then we
-
will go into how the Spirit functions. Right?
-
How the Spirit functions. So we start from spiritual.
-
We try to understand what is the Spirit. Then
-
we try to understand much more in detail the
-
promise of the Spirit. Then how the Spirit functions,
-
right? How the Spirit functions. So from there,
-
that's when we'll go to 1 Corinthians 12, which
-
is our main scripture that we are going to dwell
-
on so much. But we need to lay this foundation.
-
We need to lay this foundation so that we can
-
be able to have a clarity of what is being taught.
-
So we read from Ephesians chapter 1 from beginning
Ephesians 1 chapter mention
-
to the end. We're going to read everything. I'm
-
going to read myself. Paul, an apostle of Christ
-
Jesus, by the will of God to the saints who are
-
in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus.
-
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and
-
the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and
-
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
-
blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing
-
in the heavenly places. Of course, we know that's
-
in the heavenlies. Even as he chose us in him
-
before the foundation of the world, that we should
-
be holy. and blameless before him in love. He
-
predestined us for adoption to himself as sons,
-
through Jesus, according to the purpose of his
-
will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with
-
which he has blessed us in the beloved. In him
-
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
-
of our trespasses, according to the riches of
-
his grace. which he lavished upon us in all wisdom
-
and insight, making known to us the mystery of
-
his will, according to his purpose, which he
-
set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness
-
of time to unite all things in him, things in
-
heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained
-
an inheritance, having been predestined according
-
to the purpose of him, who works all things according
-
to the counsel, So that we who are the first
-
to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his
-
glory. In him you also, when you heard the word
-
of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed
-
in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
-
Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until
-
we acquire possession of it to the praise of
-
his glory. For this reason, because I have heard
-
of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your
-
love towards all the saints, I do not cease to
-
give thanks for remembering you in my prayers
-
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
-
of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and
-
revelation in the knowledge of him. Having the
-
eyes of your heart enlightened that you may know,
-
that you may know what is the hope to which he
-
has called you. What are the riches of his glorious
-
inheritance in the saints? And what is the immeasurable
-
greatness of his power towards us who believed?
-
According to the walking of his great might,
-
that he walked in Christ when he raised him from
-
the dead and seated him at his right hand in
-
the heavenly places. Far above all rule and authority
-
and power and dominion and above every name that
-
is named, not only in this age, but also. In
-
the one to come. And he put all things. Under
-
his feet. And gave him as head. Over all things
-
to the church. Which is the body. The fullness
-
of him. Who fits all in all. Hallelujah. Amen.
-
So we are starting to pick from here. First.
-
The number of things we need to start with. And
-
is in verse 3. Verse 3. It says he blessed us,
-
right? Blessed be the God of our father. Blessed
-
be God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who
-
blessed us in Christ with every spiritual what?
-
Blessings, right? Every spiritual blessing in
-
the heavenlies, right? Every spiritual blessing
-
in the heavenlies. So we see spiritual blessing
-
there. Now, we see Paul writing a number of things
-
that is the believer's spiritual blessing. Right?
-
We see what that is. Of course, we know the summary
-
of all that is salvation. But Paul had to bring
-
it out that we might see clearly what is happening
-
in salvation. Do we get it? So, Paul listed those
-
things. Not that they are... distinct away from
-
themselves, but this is what happened at salvation.
-
So it's not like you receive forgiveness of sins,
-
then after that you become sons. After that you
-
become predestined. No, no, no. It's something
-
that happened once at salvation. I'm going to
-
show you the one that is left. If you go to verse
-
13, it said, When we heard the word of truth,
-
the gospel of his salvation, believed in him,
-
we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
-
who is the guarantee of our inheritance until
-
we acquire the possession of it to the praise
-
of his glory. Verse 14 is what the believer is
-
waiting for. Everything from beginning up until
-
that time we have received. In fact, it sums
-
this all up as the promised Spirit. Actually,
-
he sums all that things all up and brings it
-
up and said, it is the promised spirit. So let's
-
see. He said, even as he chose us from foundation
-
of the world that we should be holy and blameless,
-
right? He predestined us for adoption, which
-
is the same thing explained using the concept
-
of adoption there, according to the purpose of
-
his will, to the praise of his glory. Verse seven,
-
in him we have redemption through his blood,
-
the forgiveness of our sins, right? This is also
-
adoption. This is also adoption. Bringing it
-
out, using different things. Of course, these
-
terminologies, adoption, being predestined, being
-
chosen, the redemption through his blood, the
-
forgiveness of our trespasses, all these things
-
are found in salvation when a man believes. right?
-
It's found in salvation when a man believes.
-
So verse eight says, he lavished upon us in all
-
wisdom and might, making known to us the misery
-
of his will. So we know misery of his will means
-
that something just like pastor told us, right?
-
Something that is, uh, now it's not something
-
that I said, but something that is revelation
-
that needs to be explained, right? Something
-
that needs to be, uh, opened up, right? And given
-
insight. So this is what God has planned a full
-
time, according to the purpose, which is set
-
forth. in Christ. Verse 10 now says, as a plan
-
for the fullness of time to unite all things
-
in heaven and on earth. Now that's all, uniting
-
all things in heaven and on earth will take us
-
to Genesis 1, but we're going to come back to
-
that, right? So the emphasis here is that we
-
have seen up until verse 14, all that has taken
-
place in the believer. So all of that, the summary
-
of it is salvation. And the, peak of it took
-
place through the promised Holy Spirit. And what
-
we are waiting for is the redemption of the body.
-
So this is spiritual blessings. Now, upon this
-
foundation, okay, upon all that Christ has done
-
and that which you have received, say we have
-
received the promise as a guarantee of the redemption
-
of the body, right? So we have received the promise
-
as a guarantee for the redemption. Upon all of
-
this, Paul now began to pray for them. Right?
-
He began to pray. And we need to check what is
-
the essence of Paul's prayer. Paul is not praying
-
for forgiveness of sins for them. Paul is not
-
praying that they will be predestined. Paul is
-
not praying that a plan will come to pass. No,
-
Paul wrote about their reality from verse 10.
-
Three, up until 14. So he was not praying for
-
forgiveness of sin for them. He was not praying
-
about so that they may be able to come into salvation.
-
He wasn't praying for that, right? But he was
-
telling them about their reality. So what is
-
Paul's prayer for these people, right? After
-
listing their spiritual blessings. He says, verse
-
15, for this reason, because I have heard of
-
your feet in the Lord Jesus Christ. and your
-
love towards the saints. So they believed. I
-
do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering
-
you in my prayers. Now, this is it. That the
-
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
-
may give you the wisdom of the spirits. We've
-
taught that in cell meetings, so you should understand
-
this. The wisdom of the spirit and revelation
-
in the knowledge of him. Right? So they will
-
walk in the wisdom of the Spirit. They will walk
-
in revelation, right? Of course, the wisdom of
-
the Spirit is revelation. Right? I say it again.
-
The wisdom of the Spirit is revelation in Christ.
-
So, we walk in revelation in the knowledge of
-
Him. Having the eyes of the heart enlightened,
-
that they may what? Know. Know. That they may
-
know what is the hope to which He has called
-
them. So when you see the word hope to which
-
he has called, it means that the believer is
-
called for a service. After receiving spiritual
-
blessings, the believer is called for a service.
-
You are not just called to give the things of
-
the spirit to you, to have the gift of the spirit,
-
to have all of that and do nothing. But the believer
-
is called for a service. So we must know, That
-
we have been called to service. And the things
-
that pertain to that service. We must know that
-
we have been called to service. The hope of our
-
calling. And the things that pertain to that
-
service. The things that pertain to that service.
-
So the first prayer here is that they may know.
-
the riches of his glory, and what is the immeasurable
-
greatness of his power towards us who believe
-
according to the workings of his great might.
-
So, we can say that a believer is called to service,
-
right? A believer is called to service And the
-
service is worked, right? Through the power of
-
God. He said, according to the working of his
-
great might. So he said, verse 19, he said, and
-
what is the immeasurable greatness of his power
-
towards us who has believed, right? Who believed
-
according to the workings of his great might,
-
which he worked in Christ and when he raised
-
him from the dead. So it means that there's a
-
power at work. Right? There's a power at work
-
in the believer that helps the believer to function
-
effectively. So God has not just called us to
-
know the hope of our calling, but there's a power
-
that is at work in the believer. Amen. So we
-
need to know that which is at work. And that
-
is why this gift of the Spirit is important for
-
us to function. It is for us to what? To function.
-
The gift of spirit is for us to function and
-
we need to know. Now, Romans 1, let's see other
-
things apart from Ephesians 1. Let's see other
-
things, other areas where Paul uses the word,
-
the word spiritual. Actually, the word spiritual,
-
we can write down by now, probably should have
-
been said in one of the teachings or we know
-
it before, is pneumaticus. The word spiritual
-
is pneumaticus. P -N -E -U, right? P -N -E -U
-
-M -A -T -I -K -O -S, right? P -N -E -U -M -A
-
-T -I -K -O -S. So pneumaticus. And the word
-
blessing there, of course, is eulogia, right?
-
So spiritual blessings. In this context, it's
-
eulogia that blessing is. So we want to know,
-
right? Things that pertain to spirituals. I'm
-
going to break down pneumaticus in subsequent
-
time when I'm going to teach. But right now,
-
that is just enough. So Romans 1 .11. Let's see.
-
So in the spirit, it means that the believer
-
has abundance of blessings. And we have seen
-
Paul writing to the Ephesians and saying... This
-
is all. The believer has this. And when I said
-
that is salvation, and he crowned it all by saying
-
the promised Holy Spirit, right? So let's follow
-
up. Let's follow gradually. Now, in Romans 1,
-
11, which Pastor Victor read this as well during
-
his teaching, he said, for I long to see that
-
I may impart to you some spiritual gifts to strengthen
-
you. Right? To strengthen you. So, other things
-
that we can see also, right, is spiritual gifts.
-
When it comes to the spiritual, the believer
-
has spiritual gifts. He has spiritual gifts.
-
So, these are things pertaining to the believer.
-
So, of course, we are talking about spiritual
-
in the context of the believer. So, the believer
-
has spiritual gifts. And therefore, Paul says
-
that I might impact on you. Some spiritual gifts,
-
right? Why? To function and serve. That when
-
they know the hope of their calling, right? They
-
will be able to function. So spiritual gifts
-
is one of the things that we see that Paul uses
-
the word spiritual to explain. Romans 7 verse
-
14. Romans 7 verse 14. For we know that the law
-
is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under
-
sin. The law is what? Spiritual, right? So it
-
means that the writings of the prophets, okay?
-
The writings of prophets, the writings of Moses,
-
right? Has a spiritual impact. It has something
-
to do with the spirit of God. That the writings
-
of the prophet Moses has something to do with
-
the spirit of God. So it's spiritual. That is
-
why he said the law is not evil, but the law
-
is spiritual. It means that the law can impact
-
spiritually. Right? The law can impact spiritually.
-
When the law is explained correctly, the law
-
has a spiritual impact in the life of the hearer
-
of the law. All right. Romans 15, 27, still in
-
Romans, Romans 15, 27. So we see spiritual gifts.
-
We see the law is spiritual. So for they were
-
pleased to do, they were pleased to do it. And
-
indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles
-
have come to share in their spiritual blessings,
-
they ought also to be of service to them in material
-
blessings. So here, we see spiritual blessings,
-
right? It means that the Gentiles, those who
-
are, they've not known the Lord before, unbelievers,
-
right? They have come to partake in the spiritual
-
blessings, right? And they also ought to do what?
-
To be of service. Of course, here talking about
-
in material blessings, right? Of course, he uses
-
material blessings there to serve. So it means
-
that being part of a spiritual blessing brings
-
us towards service again. Brings us to service
-
again. So we can say Gentiles are partakers of
-
the spiritual blessings and therefore whosoever
-
partake must serve, must minister to others.
-
Whosoever partake of spiritual blessings must
-
minister to others. Whosoever partake of spiritual
-
blessings must minister to others. 1 Corinthians
-
1 Corinthians 2 .15. Can you go to 15? That same
-
1 Corinthians 2 .15. It's that a spiritual person
-
judges all things, but is himself to be judged
-
by no one. So a spiritual person's discernment,
-
a spiritual person's discernment can judge. Right?
-
Can judge. These are things that are still spiritual.
-
Right? We don't find them in Ephesians 1 or we
-
find them in... explicitly written like this,
-
but we see that a spiritual person can judge.
-
Right? So we look forward to understanding the
-
things of the Spirit very well that we might
-
be able to discern, to judge, to decide, to perceive.
-
So a spiritual person can judge. 1 Corinthians
-
3 verse 1. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 1. Let's move
-
a little bit faster. It's the brothers. I could
-
not address you as spiritual people, but as people
-
of the flesh, as infants in Christ. So spiritual
-
is also used as a means of communication, right?
-
We can say a mode of communication. I do not
-
address you as spiritual. It means that the people
-
who are spiritual believers, there's a way of
-
communicating to them. So Paul had to address
-
them as babies, as those who, as if they don't
-
know the things of the spirits. Right? As if
-
they don't know the things. So, as a communication
-
within the spirit, there's a way we communicate
-
spiritual things. There's a way we communicate.
-
There's also a mode of communication that's spiritual,
-
communicating spiritual. 1 Corinthians 10, 3
-
and 4. 1 Corinthians 10, 3 and 4. Let's look
-
at 1 Corinthians 10, 3 and 4, if you can help
-
me. Go from verse 1, please. For I do not want
-
you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers
-
were all under the cloud and all passed through
-
the sea and were all baptized into Moses in the
-
cloud and in the sea and all ate the same spiritual
-
food and all drank the same spiritual drink for
-
they drank from the spiritual rock that followed
-
them and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless,
-
with most of them, God was not pleased for they
-
were overthrown in the wilderness. Now, this
-
is a good one to add a layer on the teaching
-
about baptism, right? I think it was Pastor Victor
-
that was teaching about baptism. Oh, Pastor Fred.
-
Okay, it was Pastor Fred that was teaching about
-
it. And talking about snow water baptism, right?
-
So let's look at this. If to be baptized into
-
Moses would mean to be dipped into water. Let's
-
just... Touch upon that a little bit. So, and
-
we're all baptized into Moses. So what would
-
this mean? Can anybody try? To be baptized into
-
Moses. Okay, what would baptism mean here, at
-
least? To be a mass, right? To be a mass. So
-
can we say to be a mass into Moses for a start?
-
Don't worry, we'll explain Moses, right? To be
-
baptized into Moses. Yes, we can say that. Now,
-
when the scripture uses Moses, it's talking about
-
what? The writings and the doctrine of Moses.
-
Do we get it? So he said that they were immense
-
in the teachings of prophet Moses. How do I know?
-
Look at what he said. And they all ate. That's
-
what? Spiritual food. They did what? They ate
-
the same spiritual food. Oh, glory to God. The
-
same spiritual food. And all drank the same spiritual
-
drink. You see this same, this word same. I think
-
we need to pay attention to it. We'll study it
-
very well when it comes to the same spirits.
-
Right? If we come to 1 Corinthians 12, you'll
-
see the word from the same spirits. Here we see
-
the same spiritual drink, the same spiritual
-
food. And they drank from that. And they drank
-
from the same spiritual drink. For they drank
-
from the spiritual rock that followed them. And
-
that rock was what? Christ. This is the explanation.
-
Moses is teaching that he was feeding them with.
-
Let me use this way so that we can understand.
-
What Moses was feeding the Israelites with, right?
-
Immensing them in his teachings. Everything he
-
taught was about Christ. That is why the law
-
is spiritual. Okay? That is why the law is spiritual.
-
Because everything Moses taught them and fed
-
them with was Christ. So if the spiritual drink
-
is spiritual, the spiritual food is spiritual,
-
the spiritual rock, then the writing that communicated
-
that spiritual drink and rock, which is the law,
-
is spiritual. Do we get it? So they were enjoying
-
the teachings of Moses, so to say. Now let's
-
see. He said that rock that followed them was
-
what? Christ. So we know that rock. I think pastor
-
dealt with that very well. Probably pre -cathartism
-
or inter -cathartism. That rock was clearly explained.
-
Now he said, nevertheless, verse five, with most
-
of them, God was not pleased for they were overthrown
-
in the wilderness. So although Moses was teaching,
-
they were walking in what? Unbelief. Although
-
Moses was teaching, They were walking in what?
-
Unbelief. They said God was not pleased with
-
them. Hebrews 11, right? Without what? Faith.
-
No man can please God. That was for salvation
-
for them, right? That was for salvation for them.
-
So Hebrews 11, we can add that, right? We can
-
add that because that helps us to clarify why
-
God was not pleased with them. So, Hebrews 11
-
verse 6. It says, And without faith it is impossible
-
to please Him. For whosoever will draw near to
-
Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards
-
those who seek Him. So, they did not believe.
-
They did not receive salvation because they did
-
not believe. And God was not pleased with them.
-
Right? Good. Hallelujah. Are we blessed? We are
-
receiving, right? Glory. So, we see that there
-
is belief and God was not pleased. Now, let's
-
now go to our key scripture, 1 Corinthians 12,
-
verse 1. I'll just read that. 1 Corinthians 12,
-
verse 1. And it says, now concerning spirituals,
-
brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
-
Concerning spirituals, actually, right? We're
-
going to repeat it again. Actually, that word,
-
there's no spiritual gift there. There's no gifts.
-
We've emphasized that there's no gift. You have
-
to use your insalina. You have to use your materials
-
to check very well. Because what Moses communicated,
-
sorry, yes, what Paul communicated rather here
-
was starting from salvation to the gifts then
-
to several ministerial offices that are in the
-
church. Right? Paul started with, concerning
-
spiritual, I don't want you to be ignorant. It
-
means that everything pertaining spiritual, I
-
don't want you to be ignorant about it. Right?
-
So, if you see, that is why if you go down, you
-
will see that he started, verse 3, he started
-
saying that, therefore, I want you to understand
-
that no one speaking of the Spirit ever says
-
Jesus is a cause and no one can say Jesus is
-
Lord except by the Spirit. That's born again,
-
being born again. Right? So, Everything he wanted
-
to write in this chapter was about spiritual,
-
from being born again to the gift of the spiritual,
-
administrations and ministries. But I think,
-
right, when people read, when translators read
-
the entire chapter, right, they realized that
-
it was overemphasizing. I mean, this is my guess,
-
right? Overemphasizing on gift and ministries
-
and all of that. And they just speak because
-
actually there is spiritual gifts. Because we
-
say that this is not there, does not mean that
-
there's nothing called spiritual gifts. There
-
is spiritual gifts. which is what we are teaching.
-
But we are saying that within this verse, right?
-
That gift will be like, is like saying that I
-
want to talk about Orange Hall, right? I want
-
to tell you so many things on Orange Hall and
-
this podium. I want to talk about Orange Hall
-
and the stage. I don't need to say the stage
-
again. Everything about Orange Hall, the stage
-
includes it. Do we get it? So everything inside
-
spiritual, the gift is also there. Service is
-
also there. So that is why we always say this
-
is not supposed to be included in that. So concerning
-
spiritual, I'll have you not to be ignorant.
-
So we have seen that the spiritual gifts, we
-
have seen that spiritual encompasses all, right?
-
Gifts, the law is spiritual. It also includes
-
service, right? When we serve each other, it's
-
spiritual, right? It also includes service. Now,
-
We can say, you can write this down because some
-
things I put them in bold here. The reality of
-
the believer's blessings. The reality of the
-
believer's blessing is more spiritual than physical.
-
Okay? The reality of the believer's blessing
-
is more spiritual than physical. We can put 2
-
Corinthians 5 .16. It's more spiritual than physical,
-
right? So I'm not nullifying that there will
-
be material blessings. Don't forget, it's not
-
because Gentiles have become particles of spiritual
-
blessings. They can also what? Minister material
-
needs. Do we get it? But the material need in
-
the physical is not the primary. Okay? It's not
-
the primary. Right? James will also say that
-
if you have a brother in need and you do not
-
support, right? How can you say you have the
-
love of God in you? But what we are saying is
-
that the spiritual is more spiritual. There is
-
a limit to what you can get in the physical.
-
Like from a brother. How much? How well? How
-
big? Right? How beautiful can it be? It's nothing
-
compared to the spiritual. There's nothing compared
-
to the spiritual. So let's go. Now that we have
-
talked about spiritual and I said it's actually
-
things of things pertaining to the spirit, right?
-
We've seen them. The law is something that pertains
-
to the spirit and all of that. We need to understand
-
the spirit first. Okay? We need to understand.
-
So now we are heading towards understanding what
-
is the spirit or who is the spirit, right? Who
-
is the spirit? We are heading towards understanding
-
the Spirit of God, right? Spirit. Because it's
-
from the Spirit that we are spiritual, right?
-
It's from the Spirit that we have the word spiritual.
-
So we need to understand what the Spirit is or
-
who the Spirit is. Genesis chapter 1. So let's
Genesis 1 chapter mention
-
start going. Genesis chapter 1. In the beginning.
Genesis 1 chapter mention
-
God created the heavens and the earth. The earth
-
was without form and void. And darkness was over
-
the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was
-
hovering over the face of the waters. And God
-
said, let there be light. Let there be light,
-
Genesis 1. Now, what we want to do now is to
-
check across. All that God was doing and is doing,
-
how the Spirit has been functioning or how the
-
Spirit has been the, how can I put it? The one
-
executing, yes, that's the word, executing the
-
plans. It's the one that is executing the plan
-
and the Spirit itself is also the plan. Okay?
-
So, Is the one, the spirit of God is the one
-
executing the plan of God and the spirit itself
-
is the plan. So that is what we want to check.
-
That's why I started with Genesis. So what we
-
will see in Genesis, right? I don't know if you
-
have written that, that the spirit is the one
-
executing the plan and the spirit itself is the
-
plan, right? Is the plan. It's the plan of God
-
across all time. So in all God was doing, we're
-
going to see it in creation, in Christ, in what
-
he said, promised in the life of people. It was
-
the spirit that was working and the spirit was
-
working to impact itself on men. Right. Amen.
-
So Genesis 1. Now what we see there, right, is
-
actually, is that the Spirit of God, and I think
-
we have explained this before, that is Ruach
-
Elohim. It's actually Ruach Elohim. It's actually
-
the Spirit's God. Okay? It's actually the Spirit's
-
God. This, you know, that is why, I think it
-
was Pastor Fred that was teaching it as well,
-
that the only way, Pastor Fred was saying that,
-
the only way you can explain Trinity is only
-
in salvation. Only. That is the way you, I mean,
-
that thing called Trinity or the concept of Trinity.
-
It's only, if you go out of that, it's, it's,
-
it's nothing like you wouldn't get anything spiritual
-
in that. You won't get anything spiritual. So.
-
Here we see that it says the Spirit God. Of course,
-
for English to be able to, for people to be able
-
to read, sometimes they put off, they put these
-
words there, but it is Ruach Elohim. So we can
-
say the Spirit is what? Is who? God. The Spirit
-
is God. It's not the idea of the Spirit was there
-
in the beginning. God was there. Jesus was not
-
there. There's nothing like that. Right? If you
-
go back to John that says in the beginning was
-
the world, that same world is still the spirit
-
is Christ is God. So if you read the original,
-
it says Ruach Elohim, which is and the spirit,
-
God was hovering over the face of the waters.
-
Right? So let's see. So it definitely means that
-
we can say that and God said, let there be light.
-
Right? Can we say the spirit said, let there
-
be light. We can say that, right? The Spirit
-
said, let there be light. Let there be light.
-
Right? They put God there so we can have a continuation.
-
Right? We have a continuation. Okay, we know
-
this is the Spirit of God. Right? So, it's a
-
let there be light. So, we can say that to reorder
-
things and to put things in place is the function
-
of the Spirit of God. to the other things and
-
set things in place is the function of the spirit
-
of God. So we have seen that the spirit is God
-
and the function he started doing is to the other
-
things and put things in place. So this is the
-
descriptive work of the spirit from Genesis.
-
The descriptive work of the spirit is to the
-
other things. and put things in place. Now, if
-
you have been following our teaching, right?
-
And you have been attending some meetings, you
-
would have seen, you would have understood that
-
heaven and earth, right? We've talked about the
-
union of God and man, right? Union of God and
-
man. And we've seen chaos in verse two. So we
-
can say that from Genesis one and two, Right?
-
The work of the Spirit God, right? The work of
-
the Spirit God is to put things in place in the
-
life of men. We can say that. It's to order the
-
life of men. It's to put things in place in the
-
life of men. So we see that. We see that taking
-
place. Genesis 1, 26. Since the Spirit, God,
-
we identify that. Genesis 1, 26. The creation
-
of man in his image and likeness is by the Spirit.
-
The creation of man in his image and likeness
-
is by the Spirit. Let us make man in our image
-
after our likeness and let him have dominion.
-
over the fish of the sea, and over the birds
-
of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over
-
all the earth, and over all creeping things that
-
creeps on the earth. Let us make man, let's go
-
back, in our own image, after our likeness. Just
-
stay there first. You also go to 27. And we have
-
been taught that this is Salem, right? The image.
-
I was going to do that. We've seen that, Salem.
-
Now go to 27. And I said, so God created man
-
in his own image and the image of God, he what?
-
He created he them. So we know that the creation,
-
the new creation man or the man that God intends
-
to create will be created by the spirit of God
-
and in the spirit of God. The man that God will
-
create will be created by the spirit of God In
-
the spirit of God. You know this is why when
-
they tell you that. In salvation you have no
-
parts. It's after salvation you have a work to
-
do. This is a clear explanation of that. That
-
in the execution of the plan of saving man. It
-
was the spirit. And he was giving you the spirit.
-
And we'll come to that. So we see that. The plan
-
of. The plan and work of the Spirit, right, is
-
to create man in this image. And therefore, God
-
would definitely walk through who? Through man.
-
We've been seeing that from yesterday. God will
-
walk through man. Man is the instrument of God.
-
The one that would function for God. So you see
-
here that the Spirit created man. So we've seen
-
the Spirit. In Genesis 1, putting things in place.
-
We've seen the same in Genesis 1, 26. Now, the
-
next one is that what was being communicated
-
across generation. Okay? So, we've seen creation
-
of man. Now, this one is what was being communicated
-
across generation was actually also the message
-
of the Spirit. Right? So, We can say that the
-
spirit was what was communicated from Genesis
-
until Christ. Until Christ. So what we call God's
-
plan, what we call what God wants to do, that
-
he made known to Abraham and Abraham communicated
-
to Jacob, sorry, communicated to Isaac and Jacob
-
and Joseph is actually pertaining to the spirits.
-
It's actually pertaining to, I know someone is
-
saying, what of Jesus? The problem, wait, wait,
-
relax. We'll get there, right? Like, is it not
-
Jesus that was being communicated? We'll get
-
there, right? The man Jesus, right? Don't rush.
-
But take it this way, that it is the Spirit that
-
was being communicated. We're going to see the
-
function of the Spirit even in Christ's function.
-
Even in the coming of Christ and in the death
-
and resurrection of him. So we see that what
-
was communicated across generation was about
-
the giving of his spirit to generations. Let's
-
start. Hebrews 11, 9 to 10. The person who received
-
the promise himself. Hebrews 11, 9 to 10. of
-
the same promise. What is this promise? For he
-
was looking forward to a city that has foundations,
-
whose designer and builder is the spirit. Right?
-
It's God himself. So, which city, right, that
-
the designer and the builder is God? We go to
-
Genesis. What was God building in Genesis? Man.
-
Right? God was building man. We can now see God
-
is building men in Genesis. So from Genesis,
-
we can see that God's let us create man. Don't
-
forget that man is not talking about one man.
-
Right? We want to create a people in our spirit.
-
Right? And by our spirit. Right? So we want to
-
create. So from Genesis, it was God wanted to
-
create that city, a people, men. Right? Men that
-
will carry his spirit. So what was Abraham looking
-
up for? Abraham was looking forward to a people
-
that will carry God's spirit. He was looking
-
forward to the church, right? He was looking
-
forward to a people that will carry God's spirit.
-
So the city is a people filled with the spirit.
-
City set upon a hill cannot be hidden. Yes. Now,
-
Ezekiel 36, Ezekiel, okay, let's go to Numbers.
-
You know, when you're teaching, right, it's always
-
good to touch upon Moses. It's very good, right?
-
Because there's a lot, right? There's a lot that
-
every doctrine begins from Moses, right? The
-
writings of Moses. So it's always good, you know,
-
to go to that, right? It's the foundation of
-
where most scriptures, every other scripture
-
built upon. So we have to go. So we're taking
-
just numbers. Numbers 11 verse 29. That was just
-
clear. Right? Numbers 11 verse 29. I like the
-
explicit, you know, the way it's just so explicit.
-
But Moses said to him, are you jealous for my
-
sake? Would that all the Lord's what? People.
-
Would that all the Lord's people what? We are
-
prophets. That the Lord will put what? His spirit
-
on them. Did you see that? So God's desire across
-
time is that his people will be filled with his
-
spirit and they will prophesy. They will have
-
utterance. That is God's plan at all time, for
-
all time. That all his people will have a spirit
-
and they will speak. They will speak. Ezekiel
-
36, 24 to 27. Ezekiel 36, 24 to 27. We have seen
-
Abraham. We have seen Moses. I will take you
-
from the nations and gather you from all the
-
countries and bring you into your own land. I
-
will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall
-
be clean from all uncleanness. And from all your
-
idols, I will cleanse you. Then I will give you
-
a new heart and a new spirit. I will what? I
-
will put within you. Stop there. Don't move,
-
right? He said, I will remove the heart of stone
-
from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh,
-
right? I will remove the heart of stone from
-
your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. So,
-
what was communicated before about cleansing
-
them from their idols is made clear here by saying,
-
I will give my spirit. Right? I will give my
-
spirit. So we see here that it's about giving
-
the spirit, right? And this will cause them to
-
have a new heart. 27. Let's see. And I'll put
-
my spirit more clearly. I'll put my spirit within
-
you and cause you to walk in my status and be
-
careful to obey my words, my rules, my status,
-
right? Good. So we have seen that you can put
-
Joel 2, 28 to 29. Joel 2, 28, 29. So we can see
-
across, it has been about the spirit of God.
-
draw to 28, and it shall come to pass that I
-
will pour out my Spirit again, the giving of
-
Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters
-
shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams,
-
and your young men shall see what visions, spirits,
-
for prophesying, right? They will prophesy, similar
-
to Numbers 11, 29. Similar to Numbers 11, 29.
-
Now, I've been saying the Spirit, the Spirit,
-
the Spirit. Where does Christ come in? Right?
-
Where does Christ come in? Because you begin
-
to ask, is the Spirit not Christ? Yes, it is.
-
Now, let's check. Can we write this down? We
-
can write this down. I'm going to a little bit
-
dictate. The work of the Spirit in man. The work
-
of the Spirit in man. became the promise. Okay.
-
Became the promise. The walk of the spirit in
-
man became the promise. Then we can open brackets.
-
I'm going to put that. The promised spirits.
-
Okay. The promised spirits would be given by
-
the promised Messiah. So there are two things
-
here. There's a promised Messiah, there's a promised
-
spirit. The Bible across scripture has seen promised
-
spirit and promised Messiah, right? So that Messiah
-
is talking about God's incarnation, like God
-
in human form. So there's something God will
-
come and do in the body that would make his spirit
-
be able to dwell in men. So the promised spirit
-
would be, right, from the promised Messiah. The
-
promised Messiah is also the Spirit. The promised
-
Messiah is also the Spirit and God in the man
-
Jesus. The promised Messiah is also the Spirit
-
and God in the man Jesus. So what this simply
-
means, we're going to try to put some scriptures
-
across it, is that God promised the Spirit. But
-
the coming up, I think the scripture I should
-
just put there is John 14. Just put John 14 there.
-
Because everything explained in John 14, which
-
we are going to see, is actually pertaining,
-
right? It's actually in relations to God giving
-
his promised spirit. And who was communicating?
-
The promised Messiah, right? The promised Messiah,
-
which is Christ himself, was communicating. And
-
he himself is God. So John 14, we see that. We
-
can put John 1, 1 as well. John 1, 1. We can
-
put John 1, 1 there as well. Which communicates
-
Jesus as God and the spirits. It said in the
-
beginning was the word and the word was with
-
God and the word was God. It was in the beginning.
-
And all things were made through him. Without
-
him was not anything made that was made, right?
-
So he was in the beginning. The word was God.
-
So in body, we identify God as who? As Jesus,
-
right? We identify him as Christ. So we have
-
that. Now let's see that even in the coming of
-
Christ, the spirit functioned. Right? Even the
-
coming of Christ, the spirit function. Matthew
-
1, verse 18. In the coming of Messiah, the spirit
-
function. Matthew 1, verse 18. Of course, we
-
have seen that the spirit was prophesied. Of
-
course, prophesied through his prophet. Matthew
-
1, verse 18. Let's touch upon a little bit of
-
some things here. Matthew 1, verse 18. It said,
-
now the bed of Jesus took place in the way. In
-
this way, when his mother Mary had been betrothed
-
to Joseph, before they came together, she was
-
found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
-
She was found to be. And her husband Joseph,
-
being a just man and unwilling to put her to
-
shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. Are we
-
together? So what was Joseph trying to do? To
-
let her go what? Quietly. Not to put her in an
-
open shame. Therefore, it means that that word
-
found is not that they catch Mary like people
-
caught her with a baby. It's not like, oh, they
-
have now caught. No. It shows you that nobody
-
knew, but Joseph was aware. Right? So it's not
-
catching somebody in the act of something. That
-
word found is to come upon. And I'll tell us
-
the word, right? That word found, she was found
-
with a child by the Spirit, is to come upon.
-
So let's see. So the word is Eurisko. H -E -U
-
-R -I -S -K -O. The word found is Eurisko. H
-
-E -U -R -I -S -K -O. Found. Which means the
-
first divination tells you to come upon. To do
-
what? To come upon. Now, a word was used, right?
-
So you are a student of English. You know, there
-
can be a word and there can be a phrase that
-
explains the word, right? There's a word and
-
there can be a phrase that explains the word.
-
So you see that you use a word for something
-
or you use a phrase, right? Some of us in our
-
writings, we summarize all the statements we
-
are making into one word. So here, a word is
-
used to explain to come upon, Eurisco. How do
-
I know it's come upon? The scriptures will explain
-
itself. Luke 1, 25. Luke 1, 26 to 35. Luke 1,
-
verse 26. And her husband being a just man. No,
-
that's not it. Luke 1, 26. In the sixth month,
-
the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the city
-
of Galilee, named Nazareth. So a virgin betrothed
-
to a man whose name was Joseph. Of the house
-
of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And
-
he came to her and said. Greetings all favored
-
one. The Lord is with you. And she was greatly.
-
The Lord. Sorry. My scriptures. The Lord. Which
-
verse are you reading? Can you go back to 26?
-
Let's start from 26 again. Luke 1 26. I'm going
-
to switch to my scriptures. All right. Let me
-
use hard copy. Technology can be challenging.
-
All right, 26. In the sixth month, the sixth
-
month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to
-
a city, right, of Galilee and named Nazareth
-
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was
-
Joseph and of the house of David and the virgin's
-
name was Mary. And he came to her and said, greetings,
-
O favored one. The Lord is with you. But she
-
was greatly troubled at the same. and tried to
-
discern what sort of greeting this might be.
-
And the angel said to her, do not be afraid,
-
Mary, for you have found favor with God and behold,
-
you will conceive. Look at the communication.
-
Of course, in Matthew, they also said conceive.
-
I'm going to come to conceive, right? He said,
-
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear
-
a son and you shall call his name Jesus and it
-
will be great and will be called the son of the
-
most high. and the Lord God will give him the
-
throne of his father David, and it will reign
-
over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom
-
there shall be no end. Verse 35, 34 rather. Mary
-
said to the angel, how will this be? Saying that
-
words, since I am a virgin, means since I knew
-
no man. Do you know why she asked that question?
-
Do you know why she asked that question? She
-
asked the question. Because of the way the angel
-
communicated it. Right? So if you go to Matthew
-
18, just hold on to Luke. Go to Matthew 18. Sorry,
-
Matthew 1. Matthew 1. I just want to show us
-
that it's the spirit actually that came upon
-
Mary and Jesus appeared in her womb. That is
-
what happened. So look at verse 22. Before verse
-
22, go to verse... Verse 20, but as he considered
-
these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared
-
to him in a dream saying, Joseph, son of David,
-
do not fear to take Mary as your wife. For that
-
which is conceived in our home is from the Holy
-
Spirit. You know why the angel communicated conceived
-
to him? Because that is what he could understand.
-
Did you get it? That is what Joseph could understand.
-
He could not understand. Spirit come upon her
-
and she has a child. He couldn't. So in dreams,
-
and we've said it, in dreams and visions, right?
-
They communicate what you know, what you can
-
relate to. Then you have to understand the spiritual
-
implication of it. Of course, Peter was in a
-
vision, right? And in that vision, something
-
was opened. And Peter could only relate them
-
as unclean things. So the communication of that
-
angel was for understanding of Joseph. Do we
-
get it? Now, when you now come to Luke, the part
-
that Matthew did not record, Luke now opened
-
up. And I said, even Mary was told that she will
-
conceive. And she asked, because conception means
-
you need a man to be involved in that. And this
-
is the way you can communicate to man. So they
-
used the physical to try to explain something
-
supernatural to them. But Mary, not that she
-
believed, but she was wondering how it would
-
take place. Now look at what the angel now said.
-
The angel used the phrase of Eurisco. He said,
-
the Holy Spirit, verse 35, will do what? Will
-
come upon you. So since I've explained this and,
-
you know, it's physical and you want to really
-
know how it will take place, the Holy Spirit
-
will come upon you. Right? And the power of the
-
most that will do what? Will overshadow you.
-
Therefore, as a result, the child, therefore
-
the child to be born will be called the Holy.
-
One, right? We call the holy, the son of God.
-
Now, this is, okay? Let me say something. This
-
is the same way the Holy Spirit comes upon the
-
prophets and they prophesy. When the Holy Spirit
-
comes upon the prophet, then they prophesy, right?
-
They reveal God's mind, right? So people can
-
understand it in the physical, right? They can
-
understand what God is doing. The same way he
-
came upon her and Christ appeared. The incarnation
-
took place by the Spirit coming upon. So the
-
revelation of God those days takes place when
-
the Spirit comes upon a person. The revelation
-
of God in those days takes place when the Spirit
-
comes upon a person. Christ was revealed. Christ
-
appeared by the coming upon of the Holy Spirit
-
on Mary. So it is come upon. So a phrase was
-
used in Luke and the word Jerusalem was used
-
in Matthew. I think we'll just keep that. Let's
-
move to the next one. So we can see that in the
-
incarnation, the Spirit was at work, right? The
-
Spirit was at work. Now, in the offering of Christ,
-
the Spirit was also at work. In the resurrection
-
of Christ, the Spirit was at work. In the offering
-
of Christ, The Spirit was at work. And in the
-
resurrection of Christ, the Spirit was also at
-
work. So there was nothing God did on earth without
-
the Spirit in men functioning. Alright, so Hebrews
-
9 verse 14. Hebrews 9 verse 14. How much more
-
will the blood of Christ who through the eternal
-
Spirit Offered himself without blemish to God.
-
Purify our conscience from dead works to do what?
-
To serve the living God. How much more? With
-
the blood of Christ. Who through the eternal
-
spirit offered him. So it means that Christ gave
-
up the life by the spirit. John 10 verse 18.
-
No one can take my life. I lay down, right? So
-
he laid his heart, he laid his life down. He
-
said, no one can take it from me, but I lay it
-
down of my own accord. I have the authority to
-
take it. I have authority to lay it down. I have
-
authority to take it up. This charge I have received
-
from my father, right? I have authority to lay
-
it down and I have authority to take it up. So
-
we see that in the death and resurrection of
-
Christ, the spirit was at work. The spirit was
-
at work. Romans 8 verse 11. This is to tell you
-
how important it is that we must understand the
-
spirits and spirituals. That in the death and
-
resurrection of Christ, the spirit was also at
-
work. Romans 8 verse 11. You can add that to
-
it. Romans 8 verse 11. If the spirit of him who
-
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He
-
who raised Christ from the dead will also give
-
life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit
-
who dwells in you. So it's like saying the Spirit
-
who raised Christ from the dead, right, will
-
also strengthen you, right? The same Spirit who
-
raised Christ from the dead, he who raised Christ
-
from the dead will also give life to your mortal
-
bodies through his Spirit. So the same Spirit
-
will give life to you. So the Spirit was at work
-
at resurrection. Amen. Okay. So we can write
-
down. Therefore, the believer, therefore, the
-
believer being spiritual lives and function continually
-
by the spirits. We can say, therefore, the believer
-
being spiritual must live and function continually
-
by the Spirit. Must live and function continually
-
by the Spirit of God. Live and function continually
-
by the Spirit of God to continue God's purpose
-
on earth. So he didn't stop at resurrection.
-
Being spiritual lives and functions continually
-
by the Spirit of God to continue God's purpose
-
on earth. From the beginning until now, God's
-
spirit has been functioning, right? So that it
-
is also to replicate what he has done in us,
-
in others. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 19 to 20. 2
-
Corinthians 1 verse 19 to 20. 2 Corinthians 1
-
verse 19. For the son of God, Jesus. whom we
-
proclaim among you, Silvanus and Timothy and
-
I, was not yes and no, but in him it is always
-
yes. For all the promises of God find their yes
-
in him. That is why through him, I just want
-
me to, I like to read from my Bible because I
-
put something somewhere. So it says, for all
-
the promises of God, right? Go to verse 20 again.
-
All promises of God find their yes in him. That
-
is why it is through him that we utter our amen
-
and for the glory of God. And it is God who establishes
-
us with you in Christ and has anointed us and
-
has also put the seal on us and given us the
-
spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. From verse
-
19, you will see it says, for the son of God,
-
right here, they say Jesus Christ, whom we proclaim
-
among you. Right? So follow the thoughts. For
-
the son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaim
-
among you. Silvanus, Paul, and I, right? Then
-
he now says, verse 20, for all the promises of
-
God find their yes in Christ. Right? All the
-
promises of God find their yes in him. He said,
-
that is why It is through Christ that we utter
-
our amen to the glory of God. And it is God who
-
established us with you in Christ and has anointed
-
us. And what has he done? He has given us his
-
earnest spirit. So all God's promises, yes and
-
amen, is giving you his earnest of a spirit.
-
Of course, we have said that he doesn't stop
-
that you will function, but it is that you would
-
have God's spirit within you. So this is God's
-
plan. Amen. All right now, so let's go to John
-
14 because John 14 is where we will find a little
-
more details and it will lead us into 1 Corinthians
-
actually 12. So John 14, John 14, since it's
-
God's promise for us, just go to John 14 and
-
I'll touch upon a few things there. John 14,
-
because in John 14, it is where Christ himself,
-
right? The promised Messiah communicated the
-
promised spirits. Okay. This is where the promised
-
Messiah communicated the promised spirit, communicated
-
the giving of the promised spirit. So first,
-
we need to understand John's writing, which I
-
want to believe here now we are used to, we understand
-
John's writing, but we still have to explain
-
it. Now, John wrote, right? He wrote in a manner
-
that reflects, right? He wrote in a manner that
-
reflects an understanding of what God did for
-
the believer, not what God will do for the believer.
-
Okay? So John wrote in a manner, as one who understood
-
what God did for the believer, what God, you
-
know, did for us, right? Not just what God would
-
do, as the Matthew, Mark Luke communicated, right?
-
So Matthew, Mark Luke communicated these things
-
as things to come. John communicated it as a
-
present reality, although he was writing certain
-
things as if they were ongoing. Are you following?
-
John was writing certain things as if they were
-
ongoing, but the way he wrote it, let's go to
-
John. Let's go to John chapter two. Let's go
-
to John chapter two. Just read something there.
-
John chapter two, verse 22. So John started writing
-
from, chapter two. And when you read it, you
-
would think he's writing something that is ongoing,
-
but it's actually something that has taken place
-
and he's speaking revelation from it, right?
-
It would tell explanation and it would give you
-
the revelation. Now verse 22 says, when therefore
-
it was raised from the dead, his disciples remember
-
that he said this and they believe what? The
-
scriptures. The word of Jesus, the word that
-
Jesus had spoken. Now this is not the only part
-
where John did this. John actually wrote, when
-
he writes, after he would say, okay, he would
-
write an explanation. As if in the present tense
-
of while he's writing. So it's like saying that
-
I'm telling you a story, right? I'm telling you
-
a story that has not ended. Okay. But before
-
the story gets to the place where it ended, I
-
started including. The way the people understood
-
the story at every scene and every episode. Do
-
you get it? So John is writing a story. But after
-
each episode, it tells you the revelation of
-
that episode. It tells you what people got from
-
that episode. It tells you the moral lesson before
-
it gets to the end of the story. Right? That
-
is the way it was coming. Because it was communicating
-
revelation. So John was writing what Jesus did
-
for us. rather than more of a historical account.
-
So we can write a few things that he communicated
-
before we move to John 14. We can write a few
-
things that John communicated before we move
-
3. 1 Corinthians 8, verse 6. We just write John
-
1, verse 3. 1 Corinthians 8, verse 6. puts an
-
hyphen, creation by Christ, right? Creation by
-
Christ, creation by him. So he's talking about
-
how God created. So from that verse three, he
-
already said, all things were made through him
-
and without him was not anything made that was
-
made, right? So without him was not anything
-
made that was made. Go to 1 Corinthians 8 verse
-
six. 1 Corinthians 8 verse 6. So creation. Yet
-
for us, there is only one God, the Father, from
-
whom all things and for whom we exist. And one
-
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things
-
and through whom we exist. Just stay there. Just
-
write it. You see, it's a from whom are all things
-
and from whom we exist. One Lord, right? So it's
-
talking about creation of us. We exist from him.
-
So this corroborates John, right? Explaining
-
all things came to be through him. If you continue
-
to read John chapter one, verse 12 to 14. Verse
-
one, 12 to 14. But to her who did receive him,
-
who believed in him, he did what? He gave. So
-
creation, we see that. We also see that he gave
-
the authority to become the children. Of God.
-
Right? Matthew was not writing this. Matthew
-
was writing. How Jesus by the flesh. Right? Came
-
from the line of Abraham. Right? Because. Of
-
course. Because of his audience. Right? To convince
-
them. But. John was writing straight up. He gave
-
them to become. The children. Of God. Right?
-
Go to verse. The next verse. Who were born not
-
of blood. Of. Of the will of the flesh. Nor of
-
the will of man. but of God, which has been born
-
again. And the word became flesh and blood among
-
us. And we have seen his glory, the glory of
-
the only son from the father, full of grace and
-
truth. Next. John bore witness about him and
-
cried out. This is the one whom I said, he comes
-
after me, he who comes after me, rams before
-
me because he was before me. From, for from his
-
fullness, we have all received what? Grace upon
-
grace. We have received grace upon grace. Next.
-
The next verse, please. For the Lord was given
-
through Moses grace and truth came through Jesus.
-
No one has ever seen God. The only God who is
-
at the father's side, he has made him known.
-
So we have, we're created by him. We have authority
-
to become children. We have, what do we see here?
-
Knowledge, revelation of God. Revelation of God.
-
Revelation of God. So we see creation. We see
-
authority to become children. We see grace and
-
we see revelation of God. Right? If we proceed,
-
John chapter 3. We don't need to read it. We
John 3 chapter mention
-
see that he gave eternal life. John started talking
-
about eternal life from chapter 3. Right? Started
-
talking about eternal life. John chapter 3. Eternal
John 3 chapter mention
-
life through his son. Right? Eternal life through
-
his son. John chapter seven, John chapter seven,
-
verse 37 to 39. Again, John communicated. On
-
the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus
-
stood up and cried out. If anyone says, let him
-
come to me and drink. Whosoever believes in me,
-
as the scripture has said, out of his heart,
-
out of his belly, will flow rivers of living
-
water. Right? Out of his belly will flow rivers
-
of living water. Now we see, next verse, please
-
just read the next verse. I'll use the next verse
-
to explain. Now this is said, do you see another
-
way that John is writing? He's already, he's
-
explaining. Now he said about the spirit in whom
-
those who believe in him were to receive. For
-
as yet the Spirit had not yet been what? Given,
-
because Jesus was not yet what? Glorified. Giving
-
another moral lesson before the end of, because
-
he was not actually writing a story. The reality,
-
he wasn't writing a story. He was actually explaining
-
events and showing the revelation of Christ.
-
That's why he keeps using this pattern of writing.
-
So what we see is that John already expressed
-
everything that we have in Christ. Explain everything
-
that we have in Christ. Therefore, can we read
-
Ephesians? John 12, just one more scripture in
-
John. John 12, 35 to 36. How John tied it. How
-
is John well tied to the epistles? John 12, 35.
-
And Jesus said to them, the light is among you
-
for a little while. For a little while longer.
-
Walk while you have what? The light. Let darkness
-
overtake you. The one who walks in darkness does
-
not know where he is going. The next verse. While
-
you have the light, believe what's in the light
-
and you may become what's sons of light. Do you
-
know the scripture that parallels this? Ephesians
-
5 verse 8. Ephesians. This is almost like directly
-
from Ephesians 5 verse 8. You know, sometimes
-
I feel. John actually read some epistles, probably
-
had some access to it because he was actually
-
writing so much of those things. Yeah, because
-
his writing was late, almost the last that was
-
written. So Ephesians, where's Ephesians 5 verse
-
8? For at one time you were what? Darkness. And
-
now you are what? Light in the Lord. Walk as
-
what? Children of light. Right? Using the concept
-
of light. So we see that John had actually written
-
to explain all that we have in Christ. Now let's
-
see. Let's move a little bit faster. So John
-
14 now. Now we can now settle in John 14. We
-
can now settle in John 14. John 14. John 14.
-
From verse one, right? Let's pick up from verse
-
one. He said, let not your heart be troubled.
-
Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father's
-
house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would
-
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
-
And if I go to prepare a place for you, I'll
-
come again and take you to myself. And where
-
I am, you may also be, right? And you know the
-
way to where I am going. Now, we've explained
-
this over and over and over and I don't want
-
you to get tired of it, okay? You don't get tired
-
of it because it must sink very well, right?
-
It must sink very well in us. So, just to do
-
a quick test, what is the word father's house?
-
What does the father's house refer to? I don't
-
want Greek word. I want English word. What does
-
the father's house refer to? Household, right?
-
God's family, right? So yes, God's family. Then,
-
what does rooms refer to? Rooms. What does rooms
-
refer to? Dwelling place, right? Dwelling place.
-
A place where people dwell, right? Room. Places
-
where people... Places that need to be occupied,
-
positions that need to be occupied, right, in
-
Christ. So, if you pay attention consistently
-
to how it's being written, many rooms, if it
-
were not so, I would not have, if it were not
-
so, would I have told you that I go to prepare
-
a place for you? So, another word for that room
-
is place, okay? It's a place in Christ, a room
-
in Christ, right? a place in Christ, a room in
-
Christ. All he was doing was explaining for that,
-
right? Explaining for that what he would do.
-
And as I go to prepare a place for you, verse
-
three, and I will come again and take you to
-
myself. And that's where I am. You may also be.
-
So Jesus is saying that I'm preparing a place
-
through me and in me. That's what Jesus is saying.
-
I'm preparing a place through me because I go
-
and in me. I'm preparing this place through me
-
and in me. I will prepare the place and that
-
place is in me. That place is in me. Now, after
-
Jesus has said he's going to prepare a place,
-
right? And it says that place is in him. Why
-
did he not begin to communicate something as
-
if he's different in verse 15? Because if you
-
tell me that you will create a place for us to,
-
you know, to lodge, right? We'll have an outing.
-
We are lodging there. Jinnah said, you will leave
-
me, right? You will leave me. Then you will send
-
some, Okay, let me not say someone, but you sent,
-
you communicated something to me that you will
-
send something or someone to be with me, right?
-
It looks like two different communication. It
-
looks like two different communication. So I
-
said it will be with them here, right? And we'll
-
be together. Of course, he communicated, we will
-
be together with the father. But in verse 15,
-
he now said, if you love me, you will keep my
-
commandment and I'll ask the father and he will
-
give you another helper. And I think Pastor Yifan
-
dealt with this as well. Another helper, we know
-
that another helper is not another being. Let
-
me show you something to tell you that the helper,
-
the Father, the Spirit is God. John 10. Let me
-
show you something. In John 10 verse 30, the
-
Father, the Spirit, the communication, Christ
-
was talking about God. I was talking about himself,
-
right? So I was asking, I said, why did Jesus
-
speak like a second person communication? Right?
-
Is we that is even reading it a second person
-
communication? Let me show you what the Jews
-
understood when Jesus was talking. John 10 verse
-
30. Before you go to John 10 verse 30, let's
-
start with verse 25. Verse 25. And Jesus answered
-
them. I told you and you do not believe. Right?
-
And you do not believe. The works I do, the works
-
that I do in my father's name, bear witness about
-
me. But you do not believe because you are not
-
among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I
-
know them and they follow me. I give them eternal
-
life and they will never perish. And no one will
-
snatch them from my hand. My father who has given
-
them to me is greater than all, and no one will
-
be able to snatch them out of my hand. I and
-
the father are what? I and the father are one.
-
So he's talking about himself and talking about
-
what he will do for us. Now, what did the Jews
-
did? The Jews picked up stones again to stone
-
him. Jesus answered, I have shown you many works
-
from the Father. For which of them are you going
-
to stone me? Now listen to their response. They
-
just answered, it is not for a good work that
-
we are stoning you. They want to justify why
-
they want to stone him. It is not for a good
-
work. So why? That we are going to stone you.
-
But for what? Blasphemy. Look at their definition
-
of blasphemy, right? Because you being a man,
-
you make yourself what? God. You being man, make
-
yourself what? God, right? So it means that when
-
Jesus was communicating, I and the father are
-
one, right? He was communicating that it was
-
God. He was communicating that it was God. But
-
why were they not on this? Why is he using such
-
kind of a form of communication? Because the
-
Jews understand father as Yahweh as well. They
-
understand this source called father as John.
-
So if you say you are father and the father and
-
you are one, then you have said that you are
-
God. And therefore it's blasphemy. They would
-
raise a stone to that. So when Jesus was communicating
-
back to 14 now, so he's talking about him creating
-
a place in himself, right? And true himself.
-
So in 15, he now said he's going to send another
-
comforter, right? Another helper. which my scripture
-
use helper, to be with you forever. It therefore
-
means, right? Let me read one more. Let me read
-
one more in this verse 14. To corroborate John
-
10 verse 30 about the concept of the father.
-
John 14 verse 8. It said, Philip said to him,
-
Lord, show us who? The father. And it is what?
-
It is enough. It therefore means that these people
-
have the mind of someone called father. God is
-
a revelation of the father. So he's also a Jew,
-
right? And you have the Jewish people stoning
-
Jesus because he said he is the father, more
-
or less. Right? That is the communication he
-
passed to them. So Philip now said, show us the
-
father. And Jesus was amazed. Like, ah. Have
-
you been with me for this long? And you don't
-
know that me and the father are one. I should
-
communicate what I communicated to the Pharisees
-
to you also. So it definitely reflect that Jesus
-
was talking about himself. Now, how will he,
-
right? How will he dwell in us? He's going to
-
dwell in us through his own spirits, right? And
-
that is why verse 15 came. He said, if you love
-
me, keep my commandment and I will ask the Father
-
to give you another helper that will be with
-
you forever, right? Because Jesus will not be
-
on earth forever in body, right? He's not going
-
to be on earth forever. So he communicated to
-
them that another helper, not another helper
-
as an alternative, right? I think we saw that,
-
that he's actually talking about the same spirits,
-
the same spirits. The same spirit, he's talking
-
about the same spirit, which is the word allos
-
paracletos, right? We heard that many times,
-
allos paracletos, which is the same spirit. And
-
what is this same spirit? That same spirit that
-
we have been talking about from what? From Genesis
-
is that same spirit. That same spirit that we
-
trace to the resurrection of Christ is the same
-
spirit that what? That will abide with them forever.
-
Do we get it? So it's not another spirit from
-
somewhere. But that same spirit that we have
-
consistently traced, seen functioning, is the
-
same spirit that will dwell in us. That same
-
spirit will dwell in us. And that spirit is called
-
the spirit of Christ. Do you know why it's called
-
the spirit of Christ? Right? It's called the
-
spirit of Christ because it is a spirit that
-
is given for first, forever. You see it here.
-
He said that spirit will be with you forever.
-
Then it is a spirit that is given after resurrection.
-
Right? So it's the spirit of Christ. It means
-
that after what Christ has done, this spirit
-
now abides with men forever. So anywhere you
-
see the spirit of Christ, it means that after
-
Christ has done, right? Because he said, I have
-
to go and I'll come again. And I'll take it to
-
her. So it means that the spirit of Christ referred
-
to, right? The giving of the spirit after all
-
that the Messiah has done to be with men forever.
-
Don't forget, we've been talking about the spirit
-
upon, right? We talked about upon, I mean, upon
-
Mary and upon the prophets, right? We talk about
-
upon Mary and upon the prophet. So here is now
-
a spirit that will stay with them forever. So
-
can we say that this believer is always spiritual
-
because we have the spirit of God? Yes. The believer
-
is always spiritual. There's no time you say,
-
oh, I'm not spiritual today. I'm not feeling
-
spiritual. Tomorrow, I don't feel it. Or they'll
-
tell you, come and do certain spiritual activities
-
like praying in tongues. You say, no. So there,
-
I don't feel it. There's nothing like that. You
-
cannot say you are not feeling it. You are always
-
spiritual. Because they said, the Allos Paracletos
-
will stay with you forever. Forever. So can we
-
say that the things of the Spirit can always
-
be exercised by the believer? Yes. Yes. The things
-
of the Spirit can always be exercised by The
-
believer. So there are no seasons and time that
-
the believer is not spiritual. There are no seasons
-
and time that the believer cannot function in
-
the gift of the spirit. Amen. There are no seasons
-
and time that a believer cannot judge. You cannot
-
be confused because you are spiritual. You can
-
judge. You can perceive. You can understand by
-
the spirit because you are always spiritual.
-
You have the spirit ever with you. This spirit
-
that Jesus promised to be ever with us, right?
-
We can put it, it's called the indwelling. It's
-
called the indwelling. Right? Not upon, but the
-
indwelling of the spirits. It's called the indwelling
-
of the spirits. The indwelling of the spirits.
-
The indwelling of the spirits. John chapter 3.
John 3 chapter mention
-
Let's just touch upon John chapter 3 a little
John 3 chapter mention
-
3. Verse 5. Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say
-
to you, unless a man is born of water and the
-
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. that
-
which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which
-
is born of the spirit is spirit. Do you marvel
-
that I said to you, you must be born again? The
-
wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound,
-
but you do not know where it comes from or where
-
it goes. So it sees with everyone who is born
-
of the spirits. Nicodemus said to him, how can
-
these things be? So Jesus answered, are you a
-
teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand
-
these things? Now, just wait there. So the communication
-
was that you have to be born of the Spirit. And
-
this is what Jesus was saying, that you must
-
have the indwelling, the Spirit in you. Okay?
-
So this is what Jesus was communicating, that
-
the Spirit of God would be in you, means you
-
will have the Spirit of God in you. And he was
-
saying that, are you a teacher of the law and
-
you do not understand these things, means that,
-
read the next one. Verse 11, let's go to verse
-
11. So truthfully, I say to you, we speak what
-
we know, we bear witness to what we have seen,
-
but you do not receive our testimony. The next,
-
I have told you earthly things and you do not
-
believe. How can you believe if I tell you heavenly
-
things? No one has ascended to heaven except
-
the one who descended, the son of man. And as
-
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
-
so the son of man must be lifted up. that whosoever
-
believes in him may have eternal life. Now stop
-
here. Jesus' communication was to him, right?
-
Jesus' communication to him was that, are you
-
not understanding what I'm communicating? That
-
you have to be born of the spirit. Of course,
-
we addressed that already to be born of the spirit,
-
right? It's not water. Water is actually explaining
-
cleansing by the spirit, right? What the work
-
of the spirit is actually the cleansing. So Jesus
-
was expecting actually Nicodemus to understand.
-
Maybe by that, you could perceive what the Spirit
-
would do. Right? Maybe by that, you could perceive
-
what the Spirit would do. So, he's talking about
-
the indwelling, that the Spirit must indwell
-
in man. So, indwelling is being born again. Can
-
we say that? Having the Spirit of God is being
-
born again. Can we say that? That is also salvation.
-
Can we say that? Yes. Yes, we can say that that
-
is salvation, that is having the Spirit of God.
-
Now, it is also, we can put it down, it is also
-
called the manifestation of the Spirit. It is
-
also called the manifestation of the Spirit.
-
We are going to treat this in, when we go to
-
1 Corinthians 12. Right? 1 Corinthians 12. Because
-
the word manifestation of the Spirit was used
-
in 1 Corinthians 12. And most of the time, we
-
always interpret it as demonstration. Yes, we
-
always take it as demonstration. Right? There's
-
a difference between the manifestation that was
-
used there and demonstration that was used in
-
1 Corinthians 2. So as I come to you, not in
-
eloquence of words, but in demonstration of power
-
and of spirit. There are two things. So this
-
indwelling is the manifestation of spirit. It
-
means the presence of God in a man. The presence
-
of God in a man. The presence of God in a man.
-
The presence of the spirit in a man. It means
-
to allow something to have access to you, right?
-
To manifest, allow something to have access to
-
you. If you see John, John chapter 22, of course,
-
the words are different. This one is ephaneso.
-
Phaneros is the manifestation. I think Pastor
-
Kostin dealt with that. So, the manifestation
-
is actually, I think we can just say it. The
-
manifestation is actually the spirit of God in
-
the believer, the appearance of God in the believer,
-
the presence of the spirit. The presence of the
-
Spirit. Now that we understand being born again
-
and being believed. Now, what is the work of
-
the Holy Spirit in the apostles? Right? We need
-
to check the work of the Holy Spirit in the apostles,
-
which will also relate to us. And we will teach
-
the work of the Holy Spirit in the world to have
-
an understanding that we might be able to know
-
how the Holy Spirit functions. Across that manifestation,
-
you can also put the Ezekiel 36. Again, you can
-
put Joel 2 because it's the same thing that is
-
being communicated. Ezekiel 36, Joel 2, 28. We
-
can put those scriptures. Now that Jesus promised
-
them the Spirit, right? What is the work of the
-
Spirit in the apostles? What is the work of the
-
Spirit in the apostles? What is the work of the
-
Spirit in the apostles? Don't forget, the work
-
of the Spirit started from Genesis. We saw what
-
God did. We see how Abraham communicated it,
-
right? We see how it's passed on to Mary, right?
-
Also in the incarnation of Christ, the Spirit
-
was at work. Also in the death and resurrection
-
of Christ, the Spirit is at work. Now, he now
-
said, I will give these same spirits. To who?
-
The apostles. So what will be the function of
-
the Spirit in the apostles? What will be the
-
function of the Spirit in the apostles? Acts
-
chapter 1 verse 7. Before that, I think we should
-
read John 15 verse 26 to 27. John 15 verse 26
-
to 27. Since Jesus promised them the Spirit in
-
John 14 verse 15, John 15, 26 and 27 tells us
-
what will happen. But when the helper comes,
-
whom I sent to you from the father, the spirit
-
of truth will proceed from the father. He will
-
bear witness about me. So of all that Jesus has
-
been teaching the disciples, the apostles, the
-
spirit will reveal those things to them. So how
-
did they know that he was talking about his spirit
-
in John chapter two by the spirit? How did they
-
understand that the temple? That he said he would
-
destroy and raise was his body. By the Spirit.
-
After resurrection. So everything John was saying,
-
they later understood was by the Spirit. This
-
is for them. Right? This is for them. We'll come
-
to the ones that are patented to us. The next
-
verse. And you also will now do what? Be a witness.
-
So when the Spirit witnessed to the apostles,
-
they would witness to us. Right? So in their
-
writings, we see that. So you also be a witness
-
because you have been with me from the beginning.
-
They have been with Jesus. So it means that all
-
that Jesus has been explaining and has been doing
-
and has been teaching them, they will now explain
-
to us in the epistles, right? They will explain
-
to us in the, that's why, I mean, beginning is
-
there, right? It shows that they've been with
-
Christ, right? So all the things that people
-
were seeing and they could not understand. The
-
miracles, the gift, the teaching, the words of
-
Jesus, everything the apostles took and explained
-
it to us. And that is why we have the epistles,
-
the letters of Paul, the Peter, John, and all
-
of that. So this is what they will do. Now Acts
Acts 1 chapter mention
-
chapter 1, Acts chapter 1 now proceeds and tells
Acts 1 chapter mention
-
us much more what the Spirit will do. Acts chapter
-
one, verse seven. And he said to them, it is
-
not for you to know the time of seasons that
-
the father has fixed by his own authority, but
-
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has
-
come upon you and you will be my witness in Jerusalem,
-
in all Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth.
-
So they will do what? They will be his witness.
-
Witnessing. Witnessing. Of all Christ has done.
-
So the disciples will witness. The power to witness.
-
Comes by the spirit. Okay. The power to witness.
-
Comes by the spirit. The power to witness. Comes
-
by the spirit. So the way that for this power,
-
right, which Jesus said they should wait until
-
the Holy Spirit gives them this power, the boldness,
-
right, to begin to function. But for the believer
-
today, we don't need to wait, right? Are we aware?
-
Yes. The believer does not need to wait. It's
-
an instruction for the apostles, right? That
-
they will together begin to function. collectively
-
in the power of the Holy Ghost. What is happening
-
there is what? Is the power of the Holy Ghost
-
at work. Right? The power of the Holy Ghost.
-
So he said, wait until this power begins to function.
-
So as believers, we don't need to wait in Jerusalem.
-
We don't need to wait anywhere. And we know,
-
we know this. Now, Acts chapter 3, verse 38.
-
We see Peter witnessing. Peter witnessed. He
-
said, Then Peter said to them, Repent and be
-
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
-
Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye would
-
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So, first
-
person began to witness Peter. Began to teach.
-
Explain. Right? Explain so much more. Acts chapter
-
5 verse 12. We see signs and wonders. We can
-
put it down. What the Spirit does through the
-
apostles. Preaching of the gospel. Witnessing.
-
Acts chapter 5 verse 12, signs and wonders. It
-
says, now many signs and wonders were regularly
-
done among the people by the hands of what? The
-
apostles. And they were together in Solomon's
-
particle. So we see signs and wonders walking
-
through them. You will see regularly, you see
-
the Spirit walking through them. The Spirit walking
-
through them across the book of Acts. The Spirit
-
walking through them. Now let's see. The impact
-
of the work of the spirits in the apostles, right?
-
How that impact affected others. Acts chapter
-
10, verse 44 to 46. So now that the apostles
-
are the indwelling, they are witnessing all around,
-
right? They are doing signs and wonders. What
-
happened? It's a Peter while he was still saying
-
these things, while Peter was witnessing, that's
-
it. While Peter was yet witnessing, The Holy
-
Spirit did what fell on those who heard and all
-
who heard the word. And believers from among
-
the circumcised who had come with Peter were
-
amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was
-
poured out even on the Gentiles. Stop there.
-
So those who were the circumcised, right, were
-
amazed that now these gifts can be received by
-
every man. Every man. The next verse 46. Let's
-
see what happens to the believer. For they were
-
hearing them speaking words in tongues and extolling
-
God. Then Peter declared. So just stop there.
-
That is fine. For they were hearing them speaking
-
in tongues. So one of the things the Spirit does,
-
right, is to help the believer witness, which
-
is help the apostles to witness, and then help
-
other people to believe and... Witness that by
-
praying in tongues. So tongues is actually a
-
sign, of course, the teaching will come subsequently,
-
is actually a sign that someone has received
-
the indwelling. Okay? Speaking in tongues is
-
a sign that someone has received the indwelling
-
after they have been witnessed to. Tongues is
-
a sign that someone has received, a believer
-
has received the indwelling after being witnessed
-
to. After being witnessed to. So this is what
-
God is doing through men on earth today. This
-
is what God is doing. So men are the ones functioning
-
by the spirits. Right? Men are the ones doing
-
what? Functioning by the spirits. All right.
-
So the next question before we round up the session
-
is what is the work of the Holy Spirit in the
-
world today? Right? What is the function of the
-
Holy Spirit to the world? So we now have to talk
-
about the function of the Holy Spirit in the
-
apostles and how the apostles witnessed to people
-
and how through the Spirit they began to speak
-
in tongues as evidence of the indwelling. Right?
-
Peter was amazed. The Gentiles were not uncircumcised,
-
not they received. Means the Spirit is for all.
-
The Spirit is for all men. We'll come to that
-
in 1 Corinthians when we get it. So, the Spirit
-
is for all men. Now, John 15. Let's go back to
-
John 15. What the Holy Spirit does not do. Actually,
-
that's another way to put this. What the Holy
-
Spirit does in the world or what the Holy Spirit
-
does not do. What the Holy Spirit does in the
-
world or to the world and what the Holy Spirit
-
does not do. So you will notice that after John
-
chapter 15, verse 26 to 27, saying that the Spirit
-
will witness to the apostles and the apostles
-
will witness to others, right? The next thing
-
that followed is, in fact, prior to that and
-
after that, what followed is that they will be
-
persecuted. they would suffer for the sake of
-
the gospel. So let's start with John 15, verse
-
18. He said, if the world hates you, know that
-
it has hated what me, before he did what, it
-
hated you. Right? So if you read this and you
-
continue to read until chapter 16, verse one,
-
go to chapter 16, verse one, I'll just be taking
-
it one, one. I have said all these things to
-
you. To keep you from what? Falling away, right?
-
Falling away means running away from what I've
-
called them to do. The previous verse tells you
-
what Jesus told them to do. Okay? Jesus told
-
them, you will be a witness because, chapter
-
15, verse 27. Chapter 15, verse 27. You would
-
also be a witness because you have been with
-
me from what? From the beginning. In other words,
-
I am telling you that you will suffer so that
-
you will not stop witnessing. You will not fall
-
away. You will not lose faith. They will put
-
you out of the synagogues while you are witnessing.
-
Is that when that takes place? Yes. Indeed, the
-
hour is coming when whoever kills you will think
-
he's offering a service to me. Right? Why is
-
Jesus saying this? So that they will not stop
-
witnessing. They will not be discouraged. Right?
-
So, don't use it as end time teaching. Like,
-
fall away. Oh, you lose your salvation. No, that's
-
not what he's saying. Right? Don't try to use
-
it that. As a that. So, Jesus is saying, you
-
will not fall away from witnessing me. Verse
-
4. But I have told you. I have said these things
-
that when the hour comes, you may remember that
-
I was, I told you. I told you. Now, proceed.
-
I did not say these things to you from the beginning
-
because I was with you. But now I'm going to
-
the one who sent me and none of you asked me
-
where I go. Verse 6. But because I have said
-
these things to you, your sorrows have filled
-
your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you, it is
-
to your advantage that I go. And if I do not
-
go away, the helper will not come, right? Emphasizing
-
he has to die and resurrect. But when I go, I
-
will send him. And when he comes, good. Now,
-
this is the scripture now. When he comes, what
-
will you do? He will convict the world concerning
-
what? Sin, right? And righteousness and what?
-
And judgments. Concerning sin, because they do
-
not believe in me. Concerning righteousness,
-
because I go to the Father and you will see me
-
no longer. Concerning judgment, because the ruler
-
of the world is judged. Now the emphasis here,
-
most of the time when we teach it before those
-
days. right? Not now that we have clarity, which
-
we are going to have this clarity. I think in
-
the next second session, we will pay attention
-
to this. I'm not going to rush and finish it
-
now, right? I'm just going to tell us the wrong
-
perception of the wrong interpretation of this,
-
which is, we always say that the Holy Spirit
-
will, will, will convince, will convict you means
-
that you have done something wrong, right? So
-
conviction means you have done something wrong.
-
Then a judgment is passed on to you. That's conviction,
-
right? So you have done something wrong. So what
-
people interpret this as is that when you do
-
something wrong, the Holy Spirit will now come
-
and tell you, make you feel remorse and you now
-
feel bad. You're now like, oh no. So when you're
-
feeling those things, right? Because of wrong
-
teaching, you see, it's the Holy Spirit that
-
is convicting me. It's telling me you did a bad
-
thing. You did the wrong thing. And this is the
-
scripture they bring to explain that. But that's
-
not correct, right? The word convict, right?
-
The word convict. Let's just write it down before
-
we finish. The word convict directly here is
-
the word. It's actually the word to reflect shame,
-
to find faults and to make someone feel sorry.
-
That is the way. it appears, the word convict,
-
is to find fault, to make someone feel sorry,
-
and to shame. To shame. So is this what the Holy
-
Spirit do to the world? So it means that it will
-
tell the disciples, go and witness. So while
-
they are witnessing, The Holy Spirit will now,
-
one day they are witnessing Jesus, right? The
-
Holy Spirit will now say, you see, he's preaching
-
to you now. The other day you lied. The other
-
day you stole. You now bring all your sins. That's
-
the way we think, that the Holy Spirit will reveal
-
all your sins to you. And then, no, it's not
-
what it is. After the break, we would actually
-
go into that. I just want us to take time out
-
to pray, right? For this few five minutes that
-
we have, just want to take time out to pray.
-
And just... Speak in tongues as an evidence that
-
you have the indwelling. So if you have the indwelling
-
here this morning, can you begin to pray in tongues?
-
Can you give expression to that indwelling that
-
is in you? Right? Give expression to the spirit
-
of God that is in you by praying in tongues.
-
The same spirit that was from Genesis. The same
-
spirit that was from the father. The same spirit
-
that raised Christ from the dead. The same spirit
-
that brought Christ to earth. The same spirit.
-
The same spirit that the prophet prophesied.
-
The same spirit that was upon the prophet. The
-
same spirit that raised Christ from the dead.
-
The same spirit dwells in us. Can we give expression
-
this morning? You don't need to have a prayer
-
point. It's an expression of the fact that you
-
have the spirit of God in you. It's an expression
-
that you carry God in you. Can you just give
-
expression to the Holy Ghost? If today's message
-
was a blessing, share it with a friend. Until
-
next time, be blessed.