Word of Salvation – Vol. 18 No.21 - May 1972

 

The Promise Of The Spirit

 

Sermon by Rev. Keith McPhail on Galatians 3:14

Scripture readings: Galatians 3:1-14

Psalter Hymnal: 318; 29; 391; 317; 492

 

Text: ...That we might receive the promise of the Spirit..."

 

Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ,

What do people mean when they use the word, "God"?

The native savage in his jungle hut may talk of the god of the river, the god of rain, the god of the sun.  His distant brother, the savage who lives in the concrete jungles of the darkest cities may talk of his god.  He may talk of his name even as though he spoke of The Lord our God, but he knows not THE GOD of whom he would speak.  He may worship many things as gods, but he knows not that he does it!  But throughout the Christian Church the doctrine of THE TRIUNE GOD, the everlasting Three in One has been recognised as the foundation of the faith.  In the Nicene Creed we have the words, "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the prophets".

The Creed of Athanasius puts the matter more strongly, "Whoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic (or universal) faith; which except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.  And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity, neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance."

May we put all things in a simple form that suits our needs for the moment?

Yes, one very simple way has been suggested, namely, the Father elects, the Son redeems, and the Spirit sanctifies – or works holiness in us, consecrating us to the work of God.

God the Son came to execute the Covenant of redemption in His own blood.  In His life of perfection, He fulfilled the demands of the Law for us who could not.  He passed on to us the promise of the Holy Spirit and fulfilled that promise on the day of Pentecost.  The gift of the Holy Spirit as promised by our saviour is a great blessing.  John tells us that it was after Jesus was glorified that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit was given.

Acts 2:33 has it, "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.”

The Holy Spirit came to seal and apply unto us all the benefits of the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  There is no suggestion that those who died before the days of Christ were not partakers in the benefits of His death.  The Word of God says that all the benefits of Christ applied from the beginning.  It is none the less true that He died to secure these gifts and blessings for His own.

Christ is the immediate giver or bestower of the Holy Spirit.  According to Sovereign grace, He gives gifts to men according to the purposes of His perfect will.  John 3:8 puts it, "The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Not only does the Spirit come to whomsoever God wills, but He brings whatever gift or gifts it pleases God to pour out.  He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some teachers, some miracles, gifts of healing and so on.  It is hardly to be expected that all gifts will be given to all men or even to one!  But if we are to be useful instruments in the hands of God then it is to be expected that our lives may be filled with the Spirit of Christ.  God the Spirit is not be addressed in prayer to the exclusion of the Father and the Son, Christ our Mediator is to be addressed, and through Him we have access to the very throne of God.  Though we were chosen of the Father before the foundation of the world, and though we may be redeemed in Jesus Christ, unless there is the work of the Spirit in our hearts, there can be no application of the benefits of redemption and salvation.  Unless God the Spirit work in us, we are nothing and can do nothing pleasing before God.  UNTIL THE SPIRIT WORK IN US, those who are chosen in Christ live as though they were not chosen; the redeemed as though they were not redeemed.  We owe as much to the Father who chose us, as to Christ who redeemed us, as to the Spirit who works in us.

Behold the manner of God's love!

God the Father was not compelled to send His Son for us guilty sinners, but He did.

God the Son was not compelled to come to earth to bear our sins, but He did, because He loved us.

God the Spirit freely applies to us all that which pertains to a life in Christ.

Through the Spirit, we know the Father and the Son.  To know God is to be "in Christ", through the indwelling Spirit.

He works the work of redeeming love in us.

The Father sent the Son into the world, and the Son sent the Spirit.  Is it not clear that we may not divide the persons of the Trinity, one from the other, except at our peril?  Recall what we read earlier from the Creed of Athanasius, "Whoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith; which except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.  And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance."

The worship that we offer the Father and Son is also due to the Spirit.  FOR WE WORSHIP ONE GOD IN TRINITY AND TRINITY IN UNITY, NEITHER CONFOUNDING THE PERSONS NOR DIVIDING THE SUBSTANCE.  The worship that we offer the Son and the Spirit is due also to the Father.  We cannot separate the persons.  God is One.  Our love, our gratitude, our reverence and obedience is towards ONE GOD, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This is a fact that some are inclined to forget.

We must not lose sight of THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN THE HEART AND LIFE of the believer.  What scripture teaches us, experience confirms, namely, that if truly we belong to Jesus Christ, it was the Holy Spirit who moved in us to enliven our dead hearts, to quicken us when we were dead in sin.  It was the Holy Spirit given of God, the Father and the Son, Who came to illuminate or lighten the darkened recesses of our minds and souls, to reveal the glory of Christ, the holiness of God, the justice and extent of the Law of God, the evil of sin and our own sinfulness in particular, and the certainty of final judgement – matters which we may know only when the same Spirit has instructed us in the truth and authority of the Word of God.

God the Holy Spirit works repentance and faith in us.

By seeing God for the righteous and Holy One that He is, we loathe and despise our sins and turn to the Lord for mercy and pardon.  This is a godly work which can only be performed by men alive to God the Father in God the Son, men in whom God the Spirit has put new life.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR CONSTANT GUIDE.  He is always leading us into knowledge of truth and duty, faith and resulting works.  When He calls us to special duties, so does He guide us in the course we are to take, and equip us for the journey.  It is the function of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us, to make us holy, to bring us ever more God-ward, to cause us to be set apart for His holy work in the Gospel.

Again and again, the people of God consecrate their lives to His service.  Yet it seems that there is frequently a half-heartedness about it.  Should they pray, 'Lord take my life, sanctify it, however not all of it, for I want to play with a few little sins'?  Can we truly commit our way unto the Lord while consciously withholding our all?  Did not Jesus the Christ redeem your WHOLE life?  He will not be satisfied with your offer to share your soul with the devil.

WHAT IS IT TO BE SANCTIFIED?

Is it to be consecrated, set apart for God's service; to be made holy.  It is also evidenced in us by a continual longing to be holy, even as God is holy.  It is also evidenced by our continual warfare against sin.  We call this 'The Perseverance of the Saints'.  THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS BEEN SENT TO US TO BE OUR COMFORTER.

He brings to our minds the promises of God.

"I will never leave you or forsake you," says the Lord.

"I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also," says Jesus.

"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses from ALL sin.”  Jesus gave us the Word, "Whoever cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.”

Great promises from a great God...!

The Spirit also comforts us by building us up in the ways of God.  The most common agency for this is the Bible.  The Spirit inspired or breathed the messages of its pages.  The Spirit unfolds the otherwise hidden mysteries unto us, that we may be assured of our adoption and part in Christ, and become His profitable servants.  Our part or share in Jesus is guaranteed to us by the indwelling of the Comforter.

Paul tells us that presently we have Christ "in part".  The Spirit of Christ in us is the deposit, the down payment, the surety, the pledge or the guarantee that what we have now in part, we shall by grace, receive in full.  Also the presence of the comforter, is God's solemn assurance to us that what He has begun in us, He will complete to the praise of His glory.

THE DEPENDENCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT, IS ALSO THE DEPENDENCE OF THE CHURCH UPON HIM.

This dependence is absolute!

As we have seen, nothing of Christ or His salvation may be known without the working in us of the Holy Spirit.  We depend upon Him for our existence.

Without Him we could exercise NO faculties of the body or soul.  In short, WITHOUT HIM, ...NOTHING...!

Though we are dependent upon the Spirit in every department of life, we are not free from personal responsibility.  One day we shall appear before Him!  We are called to positive responsibility.  The greater our knowledge of the things of God, the greater is our responsibility to serve Him faithfully.

We are His children by adoption.

The body of Christ the Church, which He purchased with His own blood is made up of its members.  The life of one member affects the life of the whole.  We are responsible as members of Christ, to Him and to each other.  Each is precious unto Him, and much loved.  We have said that the Father elects, the Son redeems and the Spirit sanctifies.  Whomsoever the Spirit does not sanctify, the Son has not redeemed and the Father has not elected.  The question is, are you being sanctified?

Are you being made holy?

If you fear that you are left out of these things, or that you lack the evident blessing of the Lord, plead with Him that He may have mercy upon your soul, and that even from this day, you may walk with Him through the gracious Spirit, our Comforter.  The book of Galatians tells of holy and unholy living.  Chapter 5:19-21 presents us with a word picture of the unholy mess which the deeds of the flesh bring about in men, such as immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousings AND THINGS LIKE THESE.  "...I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you that THOSE WHO PRACTISE SUCH THINGS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD."

He who is spiritual must keep himself free from these things.  These things are of the devil.

The great work of the Spirit among us is in the perseverance of the saints, or continuing to grow in Christ-likeness throughout all our days, the working out of our salvation.

The evidence of your having been saved is known in your continuation in the faith which is received through Jesus Christ.  Beloved, are you growing in holiness and in saintliness?  Are you growing in grace?  Has the Spirit put the sign and seal of life eternal on your hearts?  May the God of all grace work His perfect will in your hearts, to His eternal praise and glory.

Amen.