The Holy Spirit is Preaching

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...are dealing with a very important part in the study of the book of Ephesians in particular.

And so given the importance of this, I decided that it was wise...

...several weeks ago, we studied the first part of verse 19 in which we find the apostle asking that God's people would pray for him as he is preaching.

And we understand and I greatly appreciate the encouragement that I receive and the encouragement that you provide all who come to this place...

...and stand at the front to handle the word of God, that you pray for them and you let them know that.

Last week, Judith and I were part of a wedding in Lynchburg, Virginia.

And then we drove back Sunday morning and we were part of a wedding in Pickerington, Ohio that got rained out.

It's the first outdoor wedding that I have been rained on and it was a very abbreviated ceremony, I can tell you that.

In fact, my wife says that the only part that really came out loudly was at the end where I said,

You may kiss the bride! And I ran for the shelter along with the rest of the herd.

I will tell you that as Judith and I were driving back, that I prayed often for Pastor Saul.

And afterwards, I checked in with him and he said,

You know, one of the encouragements is that there were a number of you that came to him and said,

I was praying for you.

And I am blessed when I hear people encourage those who come to the pulpit by the reminder that they,

in submission to the authority of the word of God,

are praying for the man who God has appointed to stand and deliver the word faithfully and clearly.

So we're going to pay a little bit of attention to the furtherance of this subject.

Look there in the passage, if you will, at Ephesians chapter 6, verse 19.

Ephesians 6:19

And Paul says, listen, the larger context is in verse 18, where he says,

Hey, praying at all times in the Spirit.

And 19.

And also for me.

Now stop and realize that when Paul says,

And pray for me.

He immediately goes on forward and lets us know what we ought to be praying for him about.

And it's there.

He says there in verse 19,

That the words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

for which I'm an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak.

And so my heart's desire this morning, and my persistent prayer has been this,

that you will leave here this morning fully persuaded that praying for preaching is essential,

and that your prayer is to be focused on the help of the Holy Spirit.

Now do you follow that?

It is that the Holy Spirit would work in the preaching of the word of God

through the heart and life of the individual,

the man that he places before you to handle the word.

With that being said, let me take up the passage and address the fact that effective preaching depends upon the Holy Spirit.

I'm going to take the majority of our time really studying that small little phrase,

that words may be given.

We will first want to understand just what Paul meant,

and how what he says fits into the larger picture of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

And so when we look at that little part, that little statement,

that words may be given,

it tells us immediately that Paul is asking people to pray about something

that is beyond him and is not dependent or not enabled by his own nature

or his own training or his own expertise.

I remember many years ago when I was considering further studies,

I thought carefully about actually getting a Ph.D. in rhetoric.

I was an English major in my previous life as a young man,

and at one point I thought, you know, rhetoric is an important discipline,

and so I began thinking carefully about the subject and doing a little bit of background research,

and I came to a settled opinion that for me,

the study of rhetoric was not quite as important

as the study of godliness and humility and a continuing pursuit of the Word of God

and a focus in growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

Effective preaching ultimately is not a matter of rhetorical discipline,

but as a matter of relying upon the Word of God

to be clear through the enabling of the Spirit of God.

And when Paul says that words would be given,

I want you to understand that he was an exceptionally brilliant man,

and he was very well educated.

However, as we are going to see later in our studies this morning,

Paul was not at all dependent upon his educational expertise,

and I in no way diminish the importance of being a student,

and particularly being a student of the Word of God.

So when you find here Paul saying what he does,

you have to ask yourself the question,

why would Paul, as capable as he was,

pray this way except for the fact that he saw a need in his life

that could not be met on his own,

and he was entirely dependent upon the work of God

and the prayers of God's people.

And so as we think about this subject,

I also want you to understand

that this issue of Paul praying for the enabling of the Spirit

in the preaching of the Word of God

actually fits in the larger context of the book of Ephesians.

God's Word is a practical and logical explanation

of his glory and his truth and his wisdom.

And so as we look at this passage,

we understand that just as the book of Ephesians

lays out the work of God,

in salvation and the work of Christ in redemption,

and the work of the Spirit in progressive sanctification,

so we find a small slice here

in which Paul applies the ministry of the Spirit of God

to the life of the believer,

in particular to the man who stands at the front and preaches.

I want you to understand I'm not up here to share.

I am here to preach.

Preaching is not a little exercise in anecdotal information.

It is a declaring of the glory and the purpose of God,

and it is explicitly tied to the Word of God.

In all the years that I have had the privilege of serving as your shepherd

and as your pastor, when I have come to this pulpit,

I cannot remember a time that I have not brought this book,

and this book has been the preeminent source that we have relied upon,

and when it's all said and done,

and you walk away, you can say,

I heard what God had to say,

and I could follow in my own Bible.

Isn't that nice?

And people will say,

Well, Pastor, I heard...

No, I'm really not that interested in what Tim Kenoyer thinks.

Can I tell you that what I think today is not all that relevant,

but what the Word of God has to say is lasting forever,

settled in the heavens, and absolutely reliable.

And we want to pay attention to the Word of God.

Now, as a side note,

given the culture that we live in

and the increasing hazy,

ill-advised thinking of people

who claim to be Christians,

understand this,

that genuine salvation brings change.

That's the second half of the book of Ephesians.

And in Ephesians chapter 4 through 6 in particular,

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

this matter of change is explained to us

in relationship to who it is that helps us be different.

You see, salvation changes you,

but then you also enjoy

the enabling of the Spirit of God

who dwells within and helps you be different.

I love being able to tell people,

you don't have to stay the way you used to be.

And the reason you don't have to stay the way you used to be

is not just because you happen to get a little book

that explains all the to-dos and don't-dos,

but you have not only the book,

but you have the enabling of the Spirit of God

who is at work in you,

helping you grow and change.

So if we've learned anything so far

in our study in Ephesians chapter 4 through 6,

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

it is this,

that effective Christian living

is entirely dependent

upon the work of the Spirit of God.

Do you understand that?

Effective Christian living

is entirely dependent

upon the work of the Spirit of God.

Let me kind of rattle our way through this

so you can see it clearly in your minds

in our study.

And pick up, if you will,

in Ephesians chapter 5,

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

looking at verse 18.

Chapter 4, chapter 5,

hammer on this issue of the believer

being an individual

who lives a different kind of life.

And that's one of the reasons why

if you're sitting here this morning

and you tell me,

hey, I'm a Christian.

I don't expect everything to have changed

and for you to be in the point

of sinless perfection.

While I wish that doctrine were true,

it's not.

But I have to tell you,

you should be able to see

the evidence of change and growth

and you should be able to say,

I'm not what I used to be

and I'm not what I someday will be.

But I can track the evidence

of God at work in me

and that is the Spirit working in your life.

Now let's follow.

Ephesians chapter 5, verse 18,

Ephesians 5:18

and it says,

don't be drunk with wine,

for that's debauchery,

but be filled with the Spirit.

And actually what follows

is an extended passage

in which the apostle helps us understand

what Spirit-filled living looks like.

And there it says in verse 19,

addressing one another in psalms and hymns

and spiritual songs,

singing and making melody

to the Lord with your heart.

So I can tell you,

listen everybody,

I can't tell for sure

that you're Spirit-filled.

But if you're sitting there

with a grumpy look on your face

while we are gathered

for corporate worship,

I don't really have to guess

that the Spirit of God's not working.

Now you can be singing

and being very agitated

or whatever and enthusiastic

and that's not necessarily proof

that the Spirit is at work in your life.

But if you're sitting there

like Mr. Grump,

can I tell you something?

You're not there.

How do I know that?

Ephesians chapter 5,

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

addressing one another

in psalms and hymns

and spiritual songs,

singing and making melody

to the Lord with your heart.

Giving thanks,

how often?

Always.

Can I tell you

that not every one of us

is born naturally

with the glass all full.

But when the Spirit of God

is at work in us,

the Spirit is the one

that prompts us

to take on life

with a different perspective

and a different view

and as a result,

we who by nature

may be pretty unsettled

and disconsolate,

we are by His Spirit

enabled to be joyful

in the midst

of the circumstances of life.

Follow with me.

There in verse 19,

singing.

Verse 20, joyful.

Verse 21, submissive.

And you look in verse 22 through 24

and you find out

that the godly wife

is submissive to her husband.

You find out

that the godly husband

is loving to his wife.

And then we find

as we work our way through

and we come to this part

in verse 18 of chapter 6,

extended passage,

he says,

and listen,

it's the Spirit

that you really need

to rely upon

to pray effectively.

And so it just follows logically

that if we need

the Holy Spirit

to help us pray,

Paul tags on to that

and he says,

and by the way,

while you're praying,

there are all kinds

of things to pray for,

but while you're praying

in particular,

pray for me,

that I'd get out of prison,

that my health would improve,

that I'd win the lottery,

that my,

no, what's he say?

He says,

I just want you to pray

about one particular thing.

He says,

I want you to pray

that utterance

would be given to me.

And he's referring

to the ministry

of the Spirit of God

as he preaches the word.

And so I want you

to understand this morning

that all effective,

God-honoring,

Christ-exalting

preaching in the Bible

reflects its dependence

upon the Spirit of God.

That's true.

Wherever you go,

what page you turn to,

be clear of this.

Effective,

Christ-exalting,

God-honoring preaching

relies upon the work

of the Spirit of God.

To illustrate that,

let me point out

that first of all,

though Christ was

the second person

of the Trinity,

nevertheless,

in his earthly ministry,

he was entirely dependent

upon the Spirit of God

in what he did

and accomplished.

Christ's preaching

and Christ's life

reflected the enabling

of the Spirit

in every aspect.

Now, having made

a statement like that,

it would be fair

for you sitting out there

to say what?

Well, amen would be

a supposition

that you're fully persuaded.

Probably,

until you're fully persuaded,

what should you be

thinking?

I'm walking out here,

not on water.

What should you be thinking?

Show me.

You got that?

Where is it in the Bible?

You got that?

The thought of God's people

should always be this.

Having heard you say it,

Bubba,

show me where it is.

And that,

we can say amen to, right?

I want you to have the heart

that as a congregation,

whoever stands here,

the thought you always have

is what saith the Scriptures?

Where is it in the Bible?

I made the statement

that Jesus,

the second person

of the Trinity,

helped in His ministry

by the Spirit of God,

and you're out there

thinking,

yeah, well,

show me.

Well,

having said it,

let's give you

a couple passages.

Passages are a good thing.

By the way,

why do we carry our Bibles

as Christians?

Does anybody have an idea?

Do we get extra points

in heaven?

Are extra sins canceled

because you have your Bible

in your hand this morning?

What's the answer?

Not in your life.

Why do we carry our Bible?

So,

so we can look ourselves,

right?

Okay,

turn in your Bibles

to Matthew chapter 12,

Matthew 12:18

verse 18.

What is pastor doing?

He is just showing you

that Jesus in His ministry

was enabled by the Spirit of God.

Matthew chapter 12,

Matthew 12:18

verse 18.

Behold my servant

whom I've chosen.

This is referring to Jesus.

Behold my servant

whom I have chosen,

my beloved

with whom my soul

is well pleased.

I will put my spirit

upon him

and he will proclaim

justice

to the Gentiles.

Do you know what that's saying?

When Jesus ministered,

how did he do it?

He didn't do it

by mere intellectual ability.

He did it through

the enabling

of the Spirit of God.

Let me have you look

at another one

very similar.

You're in Matthew.

Just go to Luke chapter 4,

Luke 4:18

verse 18.

Luke chapter 4,

Luke 4:18

verse 18.

I think you'd be

really unnerved

if I said go to

John chapter 5,

John 5:18

verse 18.

And I'm not going to.

But Luke chapter 4,

Luke 4:18

verse 18.

Here we have.

Now get the scene.

Jesus walks

into the synagogue

and they say to him,

hey,

do you have something

to say?

He takes the scroll

and he reads it

and he unrolls the scroll

and he finds the place

in Isaiah

and here's what he reads.

The Spirit of the Lord

is upon me

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news

to the poor.

He has sent me

to proclaim liberty

to the captives

and the recovering

of sight to the blind

and to set at liberty

those who are oppressed.

As you were singing

this morning,

that last song

that John led us in.

And John,

by the way,

I appreciate your courage

when we don't have it,

call it off, right?

Okay?

I like that.

We can sing another song

and have a great blessing.

But as you were singing,

I wonder

if what you were doing

was kind of cross-referencing

the singing of the word

with passages of Scripture.

Would that be a good thing to do

and what's the answer?

Do it all the time.

Do it all the time.

Anyway,

here we have,

talks about the fact

that Jesus sent

in the power of the Spirit

and when he preached,

he preached through

the enabling of the Spirit of God.

One theologian has said

there is no place

where Christ did not speak

under the enabling

of the Spirit of God.

He relied upon the Spirit

in his ministry.

It wasn't just Jesus

that did this.

Apostolic preaching

was also dependent

upon the Spirit of God.

Let me start out

by saying this.

If you will look

in Acts chapter 1,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

remember Jesus said

you are to go to Jerusalem

and what are you to do?

Hey,

grab your Bibles

and head out into the streets

and start in.

Is that what he said?

He says,

wait there

until you receive

until you receive

the Holy Spirit.

Once you have

this Holy Spirit

go out and get to work

and that's what they did

and it was through

the enabling of the Spirit

in particular

that New Testament

preaching took place

and I want you to look

at a couple different places

where that is true.

Acts chapter 4,

Acts 4:8

verse 8.

Acts chapter 4,

Acts 4 · chapter mention

Then Peter filled

with the Holy Spirit.

Now why does it tell us

that at the very beginning

of Peter's sermon?

What's it want us to know?

Well, Peter,

when he preached,

didn't rely upon his

grasp of what had taken place

and it was not just

a mere intellectual recitation

of the facts

of what had happened.

It was something

that was enabled

by the Spirit of God.

Look at Acts chapter 6,

Acts 6:10

verse 10.

Acts chapter 6,

Acts 6:10

verse 10.

But they could not withstand

the wisdom

and the Spirit

with which he was speaking.

Now who is this talking about?

The first martyr,

right?

Stephen.

And here he is.

Preaching.

And as a result,

the Spirit of God at work,

doing the convicting work

and leading conviction

sometimes leads to faith

in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In other times,

it leads to rejection

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I venture to say

that there are some of you

sitting here this morning

that may not know

the Lord Jesus.

And as we are preaching

the Word of God,

your heart may be convicted

to say,

there's something missing.

I don't know.

I don't know the certainty

of my eternal destiny.

And I don't know

that I have complete forgiveness

for all of my sins

because of the finished work

of Christ.

And there may be some of you

here this morning

that under the teaching

and the preaching

of the Word of God,

you are drawn by the Spirit

to realize

you desperately need salvation

and you trust in Him

and you're saved.

But there will be others of you

whose heart

is not turned

and you resist

the Holy Spirit

and you say,

hey, I don't like

what I'm hearing.

I'm uncomfortable

with the idea

that I can't work

my way to heaven

by doing A, B, C, D

and you will resist.

The Spirit's at work.

We look at Acts chapter 7,

Acts 7:55

verse 55.

But He,

full of the Holy Spirit,

gazed into heaven

and saw the glory of God

and Jesus standing

by the right hand

of the Father

and He said,

behold, I see the heavens

opened and the Son of Man

standing at the right hand

of God

and as Stephen preached

his sermon,

he did so

with the enabling

of the Spirit of God.

Let me have you look

at another passage

and this is from Paul

in 1 Corinthians chapter 2,

1 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

1 Corinthians chapter 2,

1 Corinthians 2:4

verse 4.

1 Corinthians chapter 2,

1 Corinthians 2:4

verse 4.

And my speech

and my message

were not in plausible

words of wisdom.

Now what does that mean?

Does that mean

that Paul came

and his preaching

was marked

by stuttering

and incomplete sentences

and by just kind of

kludgy kind of behavior?

What do you think?

No, that's not the point.

But what he is saying

is that my preaching

was not the usual

smooth kind of crafted

presentation that all kind of,

oh, it's a beautiful story

and anecdotal

and you walk out

and you say,

wasn't that a really nice story

about the puppy

that Sally found

on the side of the road

and she was really nice to?

Can I tell you?

I could tell you a story

with the right emotional intonation

and affection

and you would think

that Mary had a little lamb

was really good preaching.

Mary had a little lamb.

Her fleece was white as snow.

Do you follow that?

And everywhere that Mary went,

the lamb was,

you know,

I mean, hey,

sometimes we get mixed up

and Paul says,

I didn't do that.

So what did he do?

Look at it.

Look at it there.

My speech and my message

were not in plausible words

of wisdom

but in demonstration

of the spirit

and power.

Listen to me.

My preaching

was in demonstration

of the spirit

and power.

This is Paul.

Well, I want you to understand

it wasn't just Paul

because if you turn now,

we're going to look at Peter as well

and turn to 1 Peter 1, verse 12

1 Peter 1:12

if you would please.

1 Peter 1, verse 12.

1 Peter 1:12

Oh, by the way,

why are we tracking

in our Bibles?

Does anybody know?

Why are we tracking

in our Bibles?

Why did you bring your Bible?

Extra points in heaven?

The answer is

no, no, no

just in case you forgot.

We're tracking

in our Bibles

because you want to see

whether or not

what I'm saying is true.

And by the way,

listen to me,

taking notes

helps it stick

in that little brain

you have.

Okay?

You can write it

on your hand.

You can write it

on the bulletin.

You can write it

on the pages

of your wife's Bible.

I don't care

where you write it

but just put it down

so it's there.

I don't try

the wife's Bible

but you know,

okay.

Anyway,

we are looking now

at 1 Peter 1,

1 Peter 1:12

verse 12.

Hang on,

hang on,

hang on.

Yeah,

1 Peter 1.

Therefore,

preparing your minds

for action.

I think I have

made a mistake.

No,

I'm,

okay,

there it is,

there it is.

It was revealed

to them

that they were

serving not themselves

but you

in the things

that have now

been announced

to you

through those

who preach

the good news

to you

by,

what?

Say it with me.

The Holy Spirit.

Here's Peter.

Did Peter ever

have a problem

saying something

that didn't need

to be said

and what's the answer?

He was the,

he was the foot

in mouth apostle.

If it probably

didn't need to be said,

Peter took a stab

at it.

But here he is

explaining his preaching

and he says,

hey,

I want you to understand

something about

my preaching.

My preaching

was by

the Holy Spirit.

And so it follows

then that

true gospel preaching

should evidence

the Spirit's

work today

just as

he did

during the time

of the Lord Jesus Christ

and his apostles.

And why do I make

that connection?

Because here is

the apostle praying

and it's instructive

to us,

hey,

pray for me.

That is not

just Paul

but the long

line of succession

of men that

have come

and stood

before the

congregation

of God's people

and said,

I am here

to preach

the word

in accordance

with the word

of God

and enabled

by the Spirit

of God

and you said,

yes,

I want to hear

what the Spirit

has to say

and I'm going to

pray for you.

so,

pray,

Lord Jesus,

Holy Spirit,

work as the

vessel of clay

before us

today preaches

your word.

Do you follow

that?

That's what you

should be doing.

And all of God's

people said,

what?

I got it.

I don't need to say

it out loud

but how,

do you understand?

The point of preaching

is to tell you

what God thinks

and then the follow

up is God's

people say,

what?

I got it.

I understand.

I'm going to do it.

I'm going to do it

whether he's wearing

a tie and a suit

or whether he's

not wearing a tie.

I want to hear

the word

and I'm going to

pray that he

makes it clear.

So,

what does

preaching

through the Holy

Spirit look

like?

The question

is extremely

important.

For there's a

great deal of

ignorance today

and at worst

there's deception

regarding the

ministry of the

Holy Spirit.

The church

has tended

to either

completely tamp

down the

ministry of the

Holy Spirit

because of a

fear of excess

or on the other

hand it just

runs on

unbridled

all over the

place and you

can't tell

what's going

on.

Some have

been so afraid

of excess

that they've

developed a

slavish fear

that has

made them

actually cold

and suppressed

and suspicious

of anything

that is ever

delivered in

any other

tone than a

monotone.

And I have

watched people

who can with

all good conscience

kind of sit on

their hands

while they're

worshipping the

Lord of Glory

and kind of

be a little

frumpy about

the whole

business but

when they go

to the baseball

game for their

own son they

just go ballistic.

Now here's my

point.

Who deserves

more credit

and more glory

and more

enthusiasm?

Surprise.

God.

Right?

Okay.

We're alright

here.

On the other

hand there are

those who have

overplayed the

spirit to the

point of being

offensive to the

Lord of Glory.

I was struck

last week by a

post I saw on

Facebook and I

probably shouldn't

read Facebook as

often as I do

because it

sometimes causes

me to get

exercise but I

like this one.

It said you

don't see faith

healers working

in hospitals for

the same reason

you don't find

psychics winning

lotteries.

And I thought

duh.

That makes

sense.

Do you

follow that?

No.

Okay.

We're talking

about spirit

filled preaching.

The enabling

of the spirit

in preaching

is not

a display

of emotion.

How many

of you realize

that emotions

can be faked?

A couple

weeks ago

I happened

to see a

man walking

past our

window and

he banged

on the

our ladies

were working

on VBS

kind of all

this kind of

thing going

on and I

saw him go

by and we

don't like our

ladies to be

accosted unnecessarily

so I heard

actually one of

them opened the

door and said

the pastor is

down there and

I let him in

and he came

into my office

and he shared

the most his

name was Matt

I think it

was he shared

the most just

the most and

it was challenging

for me you know

me I'm just

kind of bland

and it's just

everything's cool

and I'm this guy

is talking to me

about he he

started out by

saying hey

would you do

the funeral for

my niece?

Of course I

would I mean

funerals are like

drive-by shooting

opportunities for a

pastor I get to

preach the gospel

I love it

and I said sure

I'd be glad to

he says well

what will you

charge?

And you know

what I said?

Nothing!

I said if you

let me say

what's on my

heart I'll

preach it

and then he

started sharing

the sad story

of his niece

that had a

shunt and she

was in

children's hospital

and she two

days before her

surgery she had

died she'd had

a brain

aneurysm and

passed away

and the guy

was crying

and you know

how I was

doing I was

grabbing Kleenex

and giving them

to him and

I'm

and

he said

well this

this funeral is

going to be on

Sheddinger or

West Broad

well I've done

lots of funerals

there

and I said

okay well I'll

call the funeral

director to let

them know that

I'll do it

you know I mean

hey we got a

pastor on board

he'll take care

of it

he'll do the

service

and

I said

what time is

it?

Without

hesitation he said

calling hours are

four to six

and seven to nine

on Thursday

and the funeral

is at 11 o'clock

on Friday

I'll be there

I said but let

me call

because I know

they'll call me

and I'll go ahead

and call them

guys crying

handed off Kleenex

as you know

Connie we need

more in my office

you know it's

like come on

we're bringing

them on

and I'm

caught up in

this

I said well

what was the

name of the

lady that

that you

talked to

and he gave

it to me

and he even

rattled off a

phone number

so I called

it

it was a

construction

company

and so I'm

sitting at my

desk and I

fired up my

computer and

guess what I

did

I googled

Schedinger's

West Broad

and I

I

called

by the way

he had already

gone out to

his car to

find the phone

number and

couldn't find

it and so

we did

second stage

and he says

just a minute

I need to

use the

bathroom

I thought

not a

problem

I'm talking

to people

at Schedinger's

and I

said hey

you have a

funeral scheduled

for Friday

right at

11 o'clock

for a little

girl 10 years

old that died

at children's

high

no we

don't

really

and I

looked out

the window

because I

the car

wasn't there

anymore

he'd gone

hey listen

to me

emotions

are not

a necessary

indicator

of the

spirit of

God

at work

nor is

stomping

and spitting

that reaches

the fourth

pew

do you

follow that

nor is

the exaltation

of the

worm

only one

person gets

to be the

hero

in the

story

when the

spirit of

God

is at

work

and it's

not

the poor

instrument

that God

chooses to

put in the

front

so what

does

spirit

enabled

preaching

look like

and I

want you

to understand

that this

morning I'm

not going

to cover

all aspects

of it

but I do

want to

say this

that for

one

the enabling

of the

spirit of

God

in preaching

brings

first of

all

conviction

conviction

and you

have heard me

say over

and over

again that

the purpose

of preaching

is not

to entertain

and for

that one

of the main

reasons that

you don't

hear a lot

of anecdotal

stories the

exception being

the emotional

issue that I

gave this

morning at

the heart

of it it

is the

exaltation

of Christ

that brings

conviction

because it

puts people

on the spot

of saying

yes or

no to

God

and so

conviction

in John

John 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16

and by the

way should

the Lord

Terry and I

get to

John chapter

John 16 · chapter mention

16 we

are going

to spend

hello

several weeks

working through

John as

he lays

out in

wonderful

clarity the

ministry of

the spirit

of God

and the

life of

the believer

John chapter

John 16:8–11

16 verse

8 through

11 explains

that one of

the ministries

of the spirit

how do you

know the

spirit is

working when

you are

sitting there

and the

spirit of

God is

kind of

tapping on

your shoulder

and say

that's got

to change

that's a

spirit

secondly

spiritual

enablement

brings about

understanding and

clarity and I

want you to

turn back in

your Bible

to the

passage in

1st Corinthians

chapter 4

I'm sorry

1st Corinthians

chapter 2

verse 4

through 16

I'm not going

to take all

the passage

and lay it

out for you

but understand

this is an

extended picture

of how the

spirit of God

works in

bringing clarity

to our

understanding

how many of

you like me

grew up in

homes where

you had a

brother or

sister who

just didn't

get it

I don't

understand

I remember

my dad

having faith

I mean

dad worked

like a

he was the

only surgeon

in the hospital

out there

in India

and he

worked his

heart out

but he

would come

home to

have devotions

with us

and sometimes

go back

to work

and I

remember

our family

devotions

were a

robust

issue

he could

eat in

three or

four minutes

I mean

literally

but when

it came

time to

family

devotions

there were

sometimes I

thought they

went on

forever

but I'll

tell you

what

our family

devotions

were a

wonderful

time

ultimately

of convicting

and drawing

me to the

cross

and drawing

two of

my sisters

but I

have a

brother and

a sister

that don't

know Christ

and I

thought

why didn't

you get

it

I want

you to

understand

what we

find in

this passage

pick up

if you

will

in verse

12

now we

have received

not the

spirit of

the world

but the

spirit who

is from

God

that we

might

understand

the things

freely given

us by

God

if you're

sitting here

this morning

and the

truth of

the matter

is is that

the scriptures

are just

going right

over top

of your

head and

you're not

understanding

it might be

that you

do not have

the enabling

of the

spirit of

God

to get

it

now does

that mean

that every

time we

who are

filled with

the spirit

or indwelt

I should

say are

going to be

sitting there

and it's

just all

going to be

clear no

no

no

because you

can be

sitting there

with unconfessed

sin as a

believer you

can be

quenching

the spirit

but it is

the spirit

and we find

this in this

passage in

12 verse

14 it says

the natural

person does

not accept

the things of

the spirit

of God

for they are

folly to

him and he

is not able

to understand

them because

they are

spiritually

discerned

the spiritual

person judges

all things but

he is himself

to be judged

by no one

for who

has understood

the mind

of the Lord

so as to

instruct him

but we have

the mind

of Christ

so spirit

enabled

preaching

brings about

clarity

and understanding

there's a third

thing that I want

you to pick up

on this morning

as we think

about what

does spirit

filled

and enabled

preaching do

and I want

you to turn

to John

John 16:14

chapter 16

verse 14

I'm going

to give

extra points

for anybody

who as they

read John

16 14

can also

think about

another

illustration

of the

ministry

of the

spirit

in John

the Baptist

are we

doing okay

right now

you're tracking

me

extra points

deacons will

give cookies

to the person

who can get

this one

stop

I'm going

off page

here

but here

we go

John

John 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16

looking at

verse 14

he will

glorify

me

for he

will take

what is

mine

and declare

it to

you

here's the

characteristic

of spirit

enabled

preaching

it lifts

up the

glory and

the supremacy

of Christ

and causes

us to see

him in all

his radiant

splendor

and to desire

him above

all others

that's

spirit

filled

preaching

I think

about the

psalm

73

by the way

do you know

how the

psalm starts

73

it's the

grumbler's

psalm

did you

follow that

I looked

around at

all the

ungodly

people and

they were

doing really

good

until I

went into

the temple

and there

I understood

their end

and then

it ends

up it

says

who

do I

have

in heaven

but you

and there

is none

that I

desire

beside you

spirit

enabled

preaching

lifts

up

Jesus

and by

the way

when we

lift up

Jesus

what happens

to us

huh

remember I

talked about

John the

Baptist

what did

he say

he said

he must

come on

help me

he must

increase

that's an

imperative

you know

what an

imperative

is

it's got

to be

he has

to be

exalted

and when

you don't

exalt

Christ

you stand

in the

way

of the

imperative

of God

who wants

to make

him

supreme

so

what do

you do

I want

you to

understand

that when

you gather

together as

God's people

to listen to

the preaching

of the word

of God

you are

to pray

for the

man who

will do

it

that he

does it

through the

enabling

of the

spirit

of God

does that

make sense

and all

God's people

said I've

heard what

God has

to say

and this

will be

the characteristic

of my

prayer life

when I

gather

to worship

corporately

from here

until the

day that

God takes

me home

when I hear

the preaching

of the word

of God

my prayer

is going

to be

God you

help that

guy up

there

that he

preaches

through the

power

and the

enabling

of the

spirit

of God

and all

God's

people said

let's close

in prayer

together

You