Day 40 The Holy Spirit

Day 40

The Holy Spirit

“Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

(2 Corinthians 5:5-9)

The Holy Spirit is the 5^th Treasure

     The Holy Spirit is the 5^th treasure that you must guard with your life!

My dear beloved, God our Father has given us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee that we indeed have eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. For though we are still on this earth, the Spirit is our comfort and our hope that we will be delivered from this cruel world on that Great Day of the LORD!

God has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us unto eternity so that we should no longer be tossed to and fro by the wicked one and all the trickery of men, but rather that we should look above from where our help comes; that we should no longer be earthly-minded, but heavenly-minded, by following the Spirit as the Spirit leads us; that indeed we may be the children of God.  For if we are not led by the Spirit of God, we are not the children of God, as obedience to the Holy Spirit is the mark that we are the sons and daughters of God:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”  (Romans 8:14-17)

                                                                                                                     

Therefore, let us make it our aim to be well-pleasing to God by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us, for if we do not have the Spirit of Christ leading us, we do not have the Spirit of Christ in us.  And if we do not have the Holy Spirit, though we may be called Christians, we do not actually belong to Christ:

“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”  (Romans 8:9)

My dear beloved, let us treasure the Holy Spirit, which is our guarantee that indeed we are saved, by casting away all the works of darkness.  For if the Spirit indeed abides in our hearts, let us, therefore, cleanse our hearts by casting away all our evil ways.

Let us also not rebel and grieve the Holy Spirit with our stubbornness by continuing in sin, refusing the Holy Spirit’s reproof, and rejecting the Holy Spirit’s help to guide us out of sin:

“Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”   (Ephesians 4:25-32)

                                                                                                                 

For if we rebel and grieve the Spirit of the living God, we establish ourselves as enemies of God.  Now do we really want God as our enemy?  Certainly not!

“But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;
      so He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
      and He fought against them.”   (Isaiah 63:10)

Let us, therefore, put away this casual attitude toward God which is so prevalent in this current generation.   Let us fear God from our hearts, not merely with our lips, for if we fear God only with our lips we shall die.

“Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”   (Hebrews 10:28-29)

My dear beloved, let us repent, not with lips, but from the heart, cutting ties with all works of darkness.  Let us fully surrender unto the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit leads us unto salvation by the grace of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen!

Let us also not resist the Spirit of God anymore, as others did:

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”  (Acts 7:51)

Nor let us lie to the Holy Spirit, as others have:

“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself.’”  (Acts 5:3)

Let us, therefore, serve God with godly fear and reverence, doing the will of God from the heart, allowing His Spirit to lead us--not the flesh, not men, and not the devil.  We must be led by His Spirit, which God has given us to establish us in His grace, as a guarantee that we are His children. We will live in this cruel world for a little while, but Christ, who is coming, will come and He will not delay!

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

Understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit

A)  The Abiding Presence:

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”   (John 14:16-17)

B)  The Teacher and Reminder:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”   (John 14:26)

C)  The Testifier:

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”  (John 15:26)

D)  The Convicter:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”   (John 16:7-8)

E)   The Guide, the Voice of God, the Prophet:

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”   (John 16:13)

F)   The Glorifier of Jesus Christ our Lord:

“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14)

G)  The One who reveals Jesus Christ our Lord:

“All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”   (John 16:15)

H)  The Source of Power:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8)

I)    The Witness to Sonship:

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”   (Romans 8:16)

J)    The Helper in Prayer:

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”    (Romans 8:26)

K)  The Inviter:

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”  (Revelation 22:17)

As you can see, my dear beloved, it is impossible to be a Christian without the Holy Spirit.  It is impossible to work for and with God without His Holy Spirit!

                                                                                                                

Finally, my dear beloved, just as no one knows what is in the heart and the mind of a man, but his spirit, even so God has given us His Spirit to guide us that we may know what the perfect will of God is.  For the Spirit searches all things, yes, even the deep things of God, and makes intercession for us.  God reveals them to us through His Holy Spirit.  Hallelujah!

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”  (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

Let us, therefore, be submissive to the Holy Spirit!  And if you are not certain that you have received the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus commands us to ask:

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”   (Luke 11:9-13)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

 and the love of God our Father,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you,

 now and forever more.

Amen.

Meditation:  God has sealed us by His Holy Spirit and has given us the Holy Spirit into our hearts as a guarantee that we are saved!

Prayer points:  Lead me, oh Holy Spirit, teach me, correct me, empower me, and help me to do the will of God!  I pray in Jesus’ name.   Amen!

Commitment:  I submit myself unto You, Spirit of the Living God.  Please lead me unto salvation through Jesus Christ my Lord.  Amen!