Good morning, everyone. If you've just joined us for the first time here at St. Paul's,
this is our third week into launching our strategic plan for the next five years, Follow
25. We're particularly concerned in this series of what it means to be a follower of Jesus,
what it means to follow Jesus in all of life and for all of life. And I should let you
know. You've probably received it in the notifications throughout the email through
the course this week. We lost one of our dear sisters this week, Betty Shearman, who hasn't
been amongst us the last couple of years because of age issues and needing special care, passed
away on Wednesday. She was 99. Someone who followed Jesus, much loved amongst us, someone who trusted
in Jesus and particularly was committed to a very committed devotional life that saw her express
the living relationship with Jesus right to the end and in such a way that had an impact
upon several generations. So at some point in the near future, all details are yet to be
finalised. We will have a Thanksgiving service for Betty here in the next, probably in the next
couple of weeks, but keep your eye out and we'll bring that to you. As we launched in
this series, the first thing we discovered was that being a Christian means that you are
in fact a follower of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour of all. A Christian is a disciple.
They're a follower of Jesus who learns from him, who submits to his teaching and becomes like
him in all of life. And we saw last week that the foundation, sorry, before that, a couple
weeks ago. The foundation of this relationship is the gospel. It is the good news that Jesus
himself has absorbed God's punishment for our sin in us choosing to walk a different path
in life, determining our own journey, rejecting God, our creator. And Jesus went to the cross.
He died our death. He paid our debt. He turned God's anger away from us and has set us free
to live a new life, the life that we were created for in the beginning. And that is in fact to live
in obedience to our God who loves us infinitely and created us. So Christian discipleship is a
lifelong journey of following Jesus and impacts every aspect of your life. It's not just something
that you leave for Sundays. It changes your entire worldview of all things.
So if we're going to follow well, and if we're going to keep following until this journey's
end, God has given us resources for that. We need to take up those resources. And then last
week we looked at the Bible and prayer. Today we're focusing on the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And I've got two things really to say, and that is, first of all, who is the Holy Spirit? And secondly,
what does it mean to live with the Holy Spirit? So if you've got the St. Paul's app open,
that'd be great. If not, create your own app with paper and pen, and you can take some notes as we
go through. So first of all, who is the Holy Spirit? We've touched on this on at least two
occasions already in this series. We're going to do it again today. There's one aspect of the Bible's
teaching. I mean, in fact, there's many aspects of Bible teaching which are difficult. It shouldn't
surprise us because God is so huge and magnificent, bigger and greater than any of our minds could
fully comprehend. So he has to be bigger than us. Otherwise, he's no more than us, and that makes
him a pretty weak God. One of the difficult things, one of the challenging areas is the doctrine of the
Trinity. We sang about it this morning. The Trinity calls us to believe that there is one and only one
God. To know the one true God is, however, to know him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, each is fully God, always and forever. So the Trinity functions kind of like an orchestra,
where you have a multitude of different instruments and coming together at the right time in a rich
harmony that any individual instrument wouldn't be able to do by itself. That is, the diversity
of an orchestra is more beautiful sound than if the whole orchestra was just made up of cymbals.
It's just a clanging noise. Each person of the Trinity does its own distinctive work. They work in
harmony with each other as each person fulfills the work, the overall work that is right and good for
that member of the Trinity to do. And yet all three persons of the Trinity are committed to the one
work of God. They contribute to the one work of God. And so the Holy Spirit is equally God,
that is equally God, same as God the Father and God the Son is God. That's the first point. The Holy Spirit
is not some lesser thing than God. For example, in Acts chapter 5, Peter rebukes Ananias for lying to
the Holy Spirit about the land that he had sold. And then Peter says, you have not lied to men,
but to God. So when he lied to the Holy Spirit, he is lying to God. We also note the Holy Spirit are
certain qualities that are only true of God in the Bible, such as living forever and eternally,
according to Hebrews 9, and being everywhere, according to Psalm 139, and having all knowledge
in 1 Corinthians 2.10. He's also declared to be equal with the Father and the Son in Matthew 28
and 2 Corinthians 13. So that's the first thing. I want to be clear. The Holy Spirit is equally God,
as the Father and Son is equally God. But secondly, the Holy Spirit is a person, not a force. The Holy
Spirit is a divine person, as the Father and Son are divine persons. So in John 14, just read out to us,
verse 16, Jesus calls him another counselor. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another counselor, another advocate to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth. So when Jesus calls
him another advocate or comforter or counselor, he treats him as a person, not as a force.
When he calls him another, he means another like me. The Holy Spirit is an advocate.
Like Jesus is. He is a person. We also know the Holy Spirit is a person because he shows the
qualities of true personhood, a genuine personhood. For example, Holy Spirit can be lied to,
as we just read in Acts 5, insulted according to Hebrews 10. And there are two things you cannot do
to the electricity that's making your refrigerator work. You can't insult electricity, a force.
The Holy Spirit also has personal qualities, like a mind, according to 1 Corinthians 2, emotions,
according to Ephesians 4, and a will, according to 1 Corinthians 12.
But possibly the most important aspect, the most important aspect of the personhood of the Holy Spirit
is that 94 times in the New Testament, he is called holy. He has the character of holiness,
which along with having emotions and will can only ever be true of someone with personhood.
And so the Holy Spirit is person and divine, divine person. And so when you add the second truth about the Holy Spirit,
the first bit becomes even more precious. It will make an enormous difference in your life.
If you believe that you are being led, changed, transformed by a person who is in their very essence,
the personal God of love and not an impersonal force. It makes a world of difference as you live the Christian life day by day.
The person who leads and purifies is no one less than God, the Holy Spirit.
This is a personal relationship of love. This is not a force connecting you to God.
So there's a lot more that can be said about the Holy Spirit and masses of books have been written on this.
But I want to jump to what does it mean for us to live with the Holy Spirit.
Now for too many Christians, the Holy Spirit has either faded into the background somewhere
to be almost non-existent in their life,
or he's been brought to the forefront in such a way that he dominates the Trinity and all things about God.
Either ends of the spectrum are deficient.
For too many of us, the Holy Spirit doesn't factor enough in our discipleship.
So therefore, what does it mean to live with the Holy Spirit?
In the John reading, we see something very significant about our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
John chapters 14 to 17 are known as the farewell discourse.
As Jesus is here farewelling his disciples, he's about to depart back to the Father via the cross.
And he's going to die and he's going to leave his disciples.
And they are distraught by this news.
They are confused.
It was uncertain times.
Their world is falling apart.
We thought that Jesus was the one who would ascend the throne in Jerusalem
and make all things right that are wrong and beat up the Romans and all that kind of stuff.
And so Jesus comforts his disciples by telling them,
Yes, I am departing.
And I am departing to prepare an eternal place for them in the Father's house.
It is fantastic news.
Fantastic news.
That some rooms are getting ready,
but it would feel so distant and unknown for them.
What about now?
Are we going to be left abandoned in the meantime?
And that's when Jesus says,
I will send a permanent resident.
Chapter 14, verse 16.
Jesus tells him,
I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever.
One who will never depart.
The spirit of truth.
So Jesus says to his grieving disciples,
I am going to the Father and I will send you another advocate.
Another, meaning one of the same kind.
Another, in verse 16,
is going to be with them forever
and he will not depart as Jesus must depart.
Now this is exactly what the grieving disciples need in this moment.
When they're feeling abandoned.
Or is it?
Is it really?
Is this really a comfort to these disciples?
Now, not that we actually can at the moment,
but imagine if Nat and I were about to go on a long trip.
And we didn't know,
it was a one-way ticket,
we didn't know exactly when we'd be coming back.
And we sat down our three girls
and said to them,
we're going away on a trip,
not sure when we're going to come back,
but it's okay.
We've organised for an uncle
who you've never met,
ever,
to come and look after you in the meantime.
Oh, that's the comfort we needed.
We haven't gotten over the first bit.
But I think verse 23 reveals the staggering implications of verse 16.
If anyone loves me,
he will obey my teaching,
my father will love him,
and we will come to him
and make our home with him.
Now, let me just unpack this a little bit
and get a bit technical for you.
This is very, very important.
Notice the word home in verse 23.
It is a very rare word
in the original language in the New Testament.
In fact,
it is used in only one other place
in the entire New Testament.
One other place.
And it's in chapter 14, verse 2,
where it is translated rooms.
In verse 2,
Jesus says that by going to the cross,
he is preparing a room,
a dwelling place,
an eternal dwelling place
in the perfection of relationship with the Father,
with God forever.
But in verse 23,
Jesus says that by going to the cross,
I'm not just preparing a room
with the Father in the future,
but I'm going to prepare in us.
He is going to prepare in us
a home,
a dwelling place,
a room for his Father
to dwell with us.
The departure of Jesus
to his Father
via the cross
is going to prepare two things,
a room for us
with the Father and the Son
and the Spirit
in heaven forever,
and a room for the Father
and Jesus
with the Spirit
with us
now on earth.
What a promise.
Not just a place for us
we've got at some point
in the future.
That is,
the promises
of the Christian faith
is not just pie in the sky
when you die,
but it's now.
For God's presence
with us
now.
The coming of the Spirit
doesn't replace
the presence of Jesus.
It guarantees
the presence of Jesus
with us
now.
The Holy Spirit
unites us with Christ
and the Father.
Jesus is not distant.
He has not abandoned
his disciples.
I think Jesus
is actually saying
to his bewildered
disciples
in this moment,
guys,
you've got to understand
it will be better
for you
when I depart.
My presence
will be
stronger.
Jesus promised
not just to
leave us as orphans
to do our best
to survive,
to pull up our socks
and work really hard
on this journey
of discipleship
just to,
he has not left us
to our own devices.
The promise
to his first disciples
extends to us.
He added eternal
words of comfort
in saying
that the Spirit
will come
not just dwelling
with us,
not just walking
beside us,
but dwelling
in the disciples
of Jesus.
The intimacy
of the disciple
of Jesus
and the Holy Spirit
is captured
in the word
abiding.
Abiding.
The Holy Spirit,
the third member
of the Trinity,
abides
in you
and me
in his church
in all
who belong
to Jesus Christ
by faith.
The Holy Spirit,
his abiding
restores
all hope
and secures
us
on the
sure
foundation
of faith
in uncertain
times
as we
trust
in the
promises
of God
in Jesus.
So the Holy Spirit
explains
how the church
survives
and how the gospel
continues to spread
to the ends
of the earth
even when all
else is collapsing
around.
The Holy Spirit
abiding
in us
explains
how the
disciple
of the Lord
Jesus
can hear
the words
of the Bible,
can hear
the gospel
not as the
words of merely
a human philosopher,
not just the
opinions of
other human
beings,
but as the
word of God
revealing truth
and reality.
The Holy Spirit
is the difference
from darkness
to light.
The Holy Spirit
is the difference
between you
reading this
as being
black ink
on white paper
and it being
the very word
of God.
The creator
of the universe
speaking to you.
The Holy Spirit
abiding in us
is the reason
why the
disciples of Jesus
have life
in the face
of death.
The Spirit
does not flee
when we are
struggling with sin.
His presence
does not hinge
upon our
obedience
and our
effort.
His abiding
in the Christian
rests upon
the infinite
grace
and the love
of God
out for us.
So then,
how do we
get the
experience,
how do we
get to
experience
this presence
of the Holy
Spirit right
now?
especially
when we
at times
may not
feel like
it?
And crucial
to this,
last week
we talked
about
absolutely
essential
for the
Christian
life
is
word and
prayer.
How does
the word
and prayer,
devotional
life,
not just
become
about a
regulation,
a rule,
a duty
that must
be performed,
a dry
activity that
makes no
difference in
my life?
What's the
difference?
difference
between the
legalist
who's doing
more than
four and
not really
moving forward?
What makes
the difference?
The Holy
Spirit is
the difference.
In John
chapter,
that is,
it's crucial
to listen
to the
Holy Spirit.
John
chapter 16
verse 13,
we get a
key part of
the Spirit's
work.
book,
but when
he,
the Spirit
of truth,
comes,
he will
guide you
into all
truth.
He will
not speak
on his
own.
He will
speak only
what he
hears,
and he
will tell
you what
is yet
to come.
So in
chapter 14,
Jesus
promised that
the Spirit
of truth
will remind
the disciples
of everything
that Jesus
taught them.
Now,
he promises
something a
little bit
more than
that.
The 11
disciples will
be led
into truth,
into a
true understanding
of all the
saving events
which are
about to
take place
about the
death and
the resurrection
of Jesus,
and they'll
be given
glimpses of
the future,
of this
final work
being
played out.
The final
climax, if
you like,
of world
history will
partially be
unveiled to
them so
that they'll
be able to
get a glimpse
of the
sweep of
God's
enormous plan
of salvation
and the
central part
that Jesus
plays in
that with
his death
and his
resurrection.
But in
leading them
into truth,
the Holy
Spirit will
not speak
on his
own,
Jesus
insists.
He will
speak only
what he
hears.
In
John
16,
13 to
15,
but when
he, the
spirit truth
comes, he
will guide
you into
all truth,
he will
not speak
on his
own, he
will speak
only what
he hears
and he
will tell
you what
is here
to come.
He will
bring glory
to me
by taking
from what
is mine
and making
it known
to you.
All that
belongs to
the Father
is mine,
that is
why I
said the
spirit will
take from
what is
mine and
make it
known to
you.
So the
general
subject matter
of the
Holy Spirit,
it's saying
there in
John 16,
is restricted.
It's a
glorious
restriction.
salvation.
The spirit
will take
that which
is Jesus'
and make
it known
to the
disciples of
Jesus.
The focus
is entirely
on Jesus.
The role
of the Holy
Spirit is to
bring glory
to Jesus.
It was
necessary for
Jesus to be
glorified by
returning to
the Father
via the
cross,
but when
he leaves,
he receives
more glory
through the
ministry of the
Spirit to
his disciples.
As Jesus
took that
which belonged
to the
Father and
made it known
to them,
to his
disciples,
so the
Spirit takes
that which
belongs to
Jesus and
makes it
known to
us.
Nothing
brings more
glory to
our Lord
Jesus than
for his
followers to
become steeped
in all
truth concerning
him.
Jesus
prays for
his disciples
one chapter
later,
that they
would be led
into that
truth,
and then
he prays
for the
disciples who
come to
the truth
because of
his original
disciples being
led into the
truth.
What does
that mean
for us?
The
acquisition of
this truth
of God is
intellectual,
but it's not
merely intellectual.
As this
truth is
truly absorbed
by the
followers of
the Lord
Jesus,
it transforms
them,
it enables
them to
reflect the
glory of
the Lord
Jesus,
and thereby
being praised
to his
name.
That is,
his priorities
become our
priorities,
his character
our character.
Glory comes
to Jesus
when the
truths
that the
original
disciples
recorded
become
truths
for us.
glory comes
to Jesus
when the
truths of the
gospel,
the word of
God,
are established
in our
lives.
Up until
this point,
the disciples
have been
quite confused,
have been
characterized by
misunderstanding as
the person of
Jesus.
All of this
is going to
change with
the arrival
of the
Holy Spirit
on the day
of Pentecost.
The Spirit
would ensure
that these
original
disciples
would not
forget Jesus,
would not
forget what
he said to
them.
He would
ensure that
they accurately
remembered
everything,
his life,
his commandments,
his teachings,
everything.
So how
does that
happen for
us then?
I think
that one
main answer
comes from
Ephesians
chapter 5
verse 18
which may
come up on
the screen
in a moment.
This is
where Paul
teaches
believers to
be filled
with the
Spirit so
that their
thoughts,
their attitudes,
their words,
their actions
would be
directed by
the Spirit.
That is,
Paul's command
is to be
filled with
the Spirit
in Ephesians
5 18
is not a
one-off
event when
someone first
comes to
faith in
the Lord
Jesus.
It is also
not what
some might
claim a
reference to
some sort
of second
blessing
reserved for
serious
disciples of
Jesus,
often referred
to as a
baptism of
the Holy
Spirit.
Ephesians
5 18
is what
scholars call
an imperative
in the
present tense
which means
the command
here in
5 18
is to
constantly be
filled with
the Holy
Spirit,
a continuing
experience
and to be
filled implies
something total,
completely filled,
that is the
Spirit has
full control
over all
aspects of
your life,
no area
of life
is off
limits to
the work
of the
Spirit in
your life.
Andreas
Kostenberg in
his book,
What Does
It Mean
To Be
Filled
With
the Spirit
says that
it is
something
that God
does.
So while
it's a
command in
Ephesians
5 18,
it is a
passive
command,
be
filled.
We are
to respond
to the
command,
but it
is something
that primarily
that God
does in
us.
Paul also
wrote a
parallel
passage to
Ephesians
5 and
it's
Colossians
3 16
and 17
and they
are almost
interchangeable,
different language
but almost
interchangeable.
The structure
is exactly
the same.
Let the
word of
Christ dwell
in you
richly,
teaching and
admonish one
another in
all wisdom,
singing psalms
and hymns and
spiritual songs
with thankfulness
in your heart
to God.
And whatever
you do in
word or
deed,
do everything
in the name
of the Lord
Jesus Christ,
giving thanks
to God the
Father through
him.
In both
passages,
Ephesians
5,
Colossians
3,
the results
are the
same.
Words
and deeds
that honour
Christ,
bring glory
to Christ.
But what
brings about
the results
are stated
differently in
both passages.
In Ephesians
5,
Paul says,
be filled
with the
Spirit.
In Colossians
3,
he says,
let the
word of
Christ dwell
in you
richly.
What this
means is
that the
Spirit has
greater influence,
provides us
with more
direction in
life,
more comfort
as his
disciples,
more enabling
as his
disciples,
provided
that
God's
word dwells
more and
more within
us.
That is,
it is
impossible,
both in
Old Testament
and New
Testament,
to separate
the word
from the
Spirit.
Our reading
of the
word,
our time
spent memorizing
and meditating
on Scripture
is the
main tool
that the
Spirit of
God uses
to help
us to
think,
feel,
speak,
and act
in ways
that are
more and
more glorifying
to the
Lord Jesus,
which is
why you
were saved.
You see,
the goal of
all biblical
learning is
knowing God.
the Holy
Spirit is
absolutely
essential to
this process.
The Holy
Spirit enables
us not
just to
see the
facts of
the Lord
Jesus Christ
and the
gospel and
the word of
God,
he helps
us to
see the
glory and
the beauty
and the
worth and
the magnificence
of all of
that truth.
He convicts
us of the
necessary
submission and
transformation and
repentance of
sin and
obedience to
Christ that
follows.
And so
listening to
the Spirit
in the
word is
so, so
crucial for
the Christian.
But so is
speaking.
So is
speaking.
See, I would
further suggest
that we pray
for God to
fill us with
his Spirit as
we engage with
him in his
word.
That is, our
engagement with
God in his
word,
prayerfully,
is encountering
God's presence.
And if you
want to know
more about
that, Tim
Keller's
written a
great book
on prayer and
there's a
great section
on what it
means to
encounter God
in his
word and
prayer.
Paul doesn't
explicitly command
anywhere that
we pray for the
filling of the
Holy Spirit,
but he
himself does
it that God
would in fact
give us the
spirit of
revelation and
wisdom in
Ephesians 1.
Also, that
we would be
strengthened in
our inner being
by the Spirit
in Ephesians 3.
Pray that God's
Spirit will fill you
day by day as
you are filled
with his word.
The Holy Spirit
working through
the word of God,
the Bible,
is how the
word of God,
Jesus Christ,
is present and
active in our
daily life and
works in his
world right now.
That's how it
happens.
The Holy Spirit
is essential
for that work.
The late
theologian Jim
Packer puts the
importance of the
Spirit of God for
the Christian
disciple like
this.
If you neglect
the Spirit,
you lose your
focus on the
fellowship with
Christ that he
creates.
The renewal of
character that he
affects.
The assurance and
the joy that he
evokes and the
enabling of service
that he bestows.
Packer then goes
on to the
effects of the
person who ignores
the work of the
Spirit in their
life.
And this may be a
rebuke, so please
hear these words
from Packer.
You slip back
into orthodoxism
and formalism,
getting stuck in a
religion of
aspiration and
perspiration
without either
inspiration or
transformation.
The religion of
low expectations,
deep ruts and
grooves that
become in the
end graves.
Our key
objective for the
next five years
is to see 65%
of St.
Paul's identifying
much growth in
the faith.
As I said last
week, a devotional
life of more than
four a week is
absolutely essential
to that growth.
That is,
without that,
how on earth
is God going to
mediate his
presence in your
life.
He has given
you a resource
that he might
dwell with you
day by day in
all the complexity
of life.
But these
objectives are
not about you
pulling up your
socks and sweating
a lot harder,
a bit more
perspiration, a bit
more effort.
They are about
bringing you to a
point and us as a
point as a church
to say, we
cannot do this
by ourselves.
It should force
us back into
every moment of
every day of
total reliance
upon the Holy
Spirit.
And so what a
resource that we
have as disciples
of Jesus.
He has not
left us.
He's not just
giving us a
promise that one
day when you
die, there will
be some great
future for you.
He gives you a
promise now, the
future's now.
He gives you his
presence now.
So look to the
Spirit as your
enabler to move
out of, as
Packer says, a
Christian life of
low expectations,
of religious
effort, formalism,
ruts, grooves,
so that in the
end, it might not
be for your
grave.
Thank you.