The Helper

A Manuel this morning is Pentecost Sunday. Will you remember that moment 50 days after the resurrection when the spirit Came Upon the church and Empower them for the work that Jesus has given and entrusted not just to them but us it's our mission. It's our work and the same spirit that was in Jesus the Same Spirit that poured out upon that early church in Jerusalem is the spirit that now dwells with us. This morning as we continue the series on gospel fluency. I want us to continue to think about the role of the spirit in our lives and making us people that live out. The reality of the Gospel being being fluent in the gospel is not something that we will ever pull off on our own. God did not design design it to work. That way God's design is that we are to be sent like Jesus was sent that's what we looked at last week. Jesus said even as the father has sent me. So I send you in a way that Jesus was sent was as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit faithful to the leading of God. And if Jesus was sent that way, that's how we are to be sent as men and women made in God's image empowered and lead and strengthened by The holy spirit of God this morning. I want us to continue to think about the Holy Spirit and that's a challenge probably for most of us in this room because there's not a lot of good clear thinking about the Holy Spirit in the church today and and it tends to go to the far ends of the spectrum much like our politics are today in this world. Everybody's being pushed either far left or far right in with the Holy Spirit. That's the way it's been most of us in this room has grown up in churches where the holy spirit is verbally acknowledged but practically and functionally ignored we don't think about the spirit. We don't lean on the spirit. We we we got our own Trinity. It's usually father son and holy book. Then it's all about the word and knowledge and most of evangelicalism Falls within that category. We acknowledge the holy spirit in our Creed we might acknowledge Him in our benedictions. We know that there's a holy spirit but it's trained us out a little bit and because of the other end of the spectrum most of us tend to be a little bit skittish about the Holy Spirit is on the other end of the spectrum is the people that are all about the Holy Spirit, but unfortunately in most of those movements is not about the Holy Spirit the way the scripture has it is about these experiences of manifestations and nnn just frankly Sum payout sweet. We want to use the Holy Spirit to give us this Sensational miraculous experience. It's all over the last really couple hundred a years that the church has lost clarity about the holy spirit of God. And when when we've lost clarity about the holy spirit of God, we've either been ignoring him or trying to use him the result. The net result is that we're not being used by him. We're not in step with the spirit. We're not being moved and used by the spirit and so is it any Wonder? But our gospel appears to be ineffective. Because it's not designed to function without the Holy Spirit. This morning. I want us to think scripturally about the Holy Spirit and about the role of the Holy Spirit and I want to I want to challenge you this morning to think about the Holy Spirit a little bit differently than maybe you've thought about him before. And I choose that language intentionally. We need to think about the spirit as a personal being as a as a as SS someone that has intelligent. It's not an it. It's not a force. I find that and I said this last week in dealing with people in the church today when we start talking about the Holy Spirit, we sound more like Star Wars than the scripture. The holy spirit's not an impersonal force that we're supposed to tap into the spirits. Not a battery that we plug in so that we can do works of God know when the spirit is upon you and your empowered by the spirit. Will you do works of God, of course, but this morning I want to suggest that that's not actually even the primary role of the holy spirit in our lives. The primary role of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives is not just functional and I words God's going to give you some juice so that you can go do some God work. The primary role of the holy spirit is personal and it's an identity role within a loan in Chapter 2 chapter 2 verses 13 to 14. This this vs. These versus just captured me this week the Apostle Paul writes he says but we ought always to give thanks to God for you. He's writing to this church that he helped start that he feels a deep connection to he loves them. He wants them to grow and be strengthened. He's constantly concerned with them. He says we ought always to give thanks to God for you. Brother's beloved by the Lord. Don't don't let that don't skip past that listen to how he's describing those in the church. He calls them brothers their family and then he calls them the Beloved of the lore.

When you think about what it means to be a Christian when you think about what it means to believe and follow the gospel when you think about what it is that the gospel offers. What do you think of? Because what what what Paul is laying out even in the beginning introduction of this verse is that what the gospel is offering us is the chance to be connected to God through Jesus to be adopted and accepted as a son and daughter to experience the love of God.

You are beloved. Let that sink in he says we ought always to think of you that to thank God for you brother's beloved by the Lord because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved. Bruno sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth. We are always to praise God for you. Why because of God's work within you and what's God's work been and you will just got shows you that he brought You Too Faced. How did he bring you the face through sanctification of the spirit and through belief in the truth? Sanctification is one of those big theological words and we have you been around in the church for a while. You hear somebody talk about it and you go. Oh, yeah sanctification then somebody said what what is sanctification do you ask the pastor?

Let me give you a very simple definition of sanctification this morning. It is the process of moving from unbelief to belief. If if what the scripture says is true that anything that is done without faith is sin. If what it is that God is asking for us and from us is Faith in Kim. The process of being Sanctified is the process of moving from unbelief to belief. Sanctify means I believe God for who he is and what he says in every area of my life. And a part of me that needs to be Sanctified is a part of me that still doesn't believe the truth about God and the way that happens is not through intense Bible study and deep reflection and thought the weather that happens is not going to a seminar or reading a book or or or or going through the way that that happens is through the Holy Spirit. The holy spirit is the one that sanctifies us. The holy spirit is the one that brings us to Faith. No one comes to the father except the spirit draws him.

The holy spirit is not this this power source to be tapped into or ignored and it's certainly not something for us to play with the Holy Spirit is God himself.

Who is actively involved in every part of our salvation?

This is cause to Rejoice. This is cause for graduate on all ways to thank God. The God chose to move and work in our lives this way. It says verse 14 to this. He called you through our gospel. So that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, that's at that is a rich and deep fresh. I want to spend the rest of my time trying to unpack what that means. I want to say this way that we've been saved from something for something. we've been saved from something for something and I think one of the great weaknesses and tragedies in the American church is that we've only focused on the from we've only f*** you been safe from your sins. Jesus died so that you could be forgiven. And if we if we do a day for something it's usually as we get to get out of here or get out of hell and go to heaven. Listen, the scripture says if you're in Christ, of course, you don't have to look forward to hell. Of course. We look forward to an eternity in the kingdom of God with King Jesus, of course that happened but the scripture offers are such a fuller gospel. We've been saved from something for something.

To figure out the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ John chapter 1 introduction to John. He says this in inverses 12 to 13 He says them but the girl who did receive him. But if you remember beginning of John 1 in the beginning was the word was with God write the word manifested received him who believe in his name he gave the right to become children of God.

There is a sense that every person. That exists on this planet is a child of God there. There is a sense in which that is true. We've all been made by God for God. We're all we all Terry the Imago Dei the image of God within us everybody is God's child everybody belongs to God, but there's a vast difference biblically about being adopted and accepted as a child of God through Jesus Christ. There's a difference between being the prodigal living in your sin and being the air at home. There's something beautiful and Powerful about this to those who accepted Jesus they were given the rights.

Because to become children of God and then he clarifies and says who were born not of blood. Nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man. but of God Did you hear what John is saying hear you saying that to become? A child of God to be accepted to me a job. This is not something that happens because you choose for it to happen. Is that something that you're your parents or your grandparents choose for it to happen? It doesn't happen because you walk through the doors of a church for a worship service. It doesn't happen because you give your tithe it doesn't happen because you try to live a moral or upright life. But to become a child of God is absolutely outside of your control. It's something that God does to us.

and then by virtue something that God will do through I

and see why the holy spirit is not mentioned in these two verses but they don't make any sense without the Holy Spirit.

The reality of the Gospel the invitation of Jesus to be accepted and adopted into the family of God is something that only happens with the Holy Spirit.

So let me say it this way we have been saved from the penalty of sin.

For the purpose of being his beloved children.

We've been saved from the penalty of sin.

And that's good news. It does good news cuz I'm looking at a bunch of Center.

And listen, yeah, I know.

But I'm Pretty in Pink. All right, listen we I know what I deserve. I know what you deserve.

And it's it's not what we get in Christ Jesus. We should never minimize or or or or stop rejoicing in the fact that in the gospel. We are saved from the penalty of our sin that is amazing. The problem is we stopped there it gets even better because we are saved from the penalty of our sin. We are an hour for the purpose of being his beloved children.

Let me ask I want you to ask yourself. I want you to pay attention not only to your mind and your thoughts with your heart and your emotion. Do you know the love of the father?

Do you know the love of the father right here right now? Do you know that God is for you not against you. Do you do you I mean doesn't fill you with with joy and wonder and amazement and confidence and courage that no matter what is awaiting you after the service in this world is for us who can be against us? But do you know the love of the father? Do you know that deep kind of knowing in your bones that you are a child of God? But you belong to God if we don't know that we are dearly beloved children. There's something wrong with our understanding of the Gospel. Let me say that again if we don't know. That we are dearly beloved children. There is something wrong with our understanding of the Gospel. Being the gospel we go from Rebel to righteous. But we also go from Children of Wrath to Children Of God is relational. We've reduced the gospel to forensics. You all got a debt. Jesus pays the debt. He stamps your ticket you go to heaven. There's almost no relationship involved. In most of the Gospel presentations I hear today. No relationship. A person. Jesus isn't even much of a person. function not the person of Jesus. It's the guy that died and rose again.

Yes, we are functional creatures. But there's a reason we're called human beings not human doings. ontology precedes practice being comes before

The gospel what's happening American church as we've made the gospel almost all functional and it doesn't touch our heart. It doesn't touch our self understanding our identity.

That's what the gospel is designed to do and I want to show you through the word of God this morning. That's what the holy spirit is supposed to do within every single one of us.

We've been saved from the penalty of sin for the purpose of being his beloved children chapter 2 starting vs127.

In order to get to the gospel the good news. You got to start with the bad news, right? It says you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which She Wants What It Wants she wants to live following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons of Disobedience among whom we once lived. In the passions of our flash carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by Nature. Children of Wrath like the rest of mankind in order for the gospel to be good news. You got to understand and deal with the bad news bad news is we're broken. We're sinful and we've all learned that we've racked up a debt that we have. No. Hope of paying if God is a righteous and just God what we deserve is punishment. Listen, you got to remember who you were before the gospel came to you. Got to remember who you were before. Jesus grabbed. You you were by Nature a child of rap. That's what you earned. That's what God told. That's what you had to look forward to the wrath of God. Listen. I want so much from God, but I don't ever want the wrath of God.

See in today's world, even in many of the pulpit across the country this morning a God is going to be preached about who has no wrath. We remove the wrath of God does not really angry and upset in our literature and a Christian movie. That's this warm fuzzy blob of goodness, and he just wants to let others know RAF. There's nothing to fear and if you take the wrath of God out of the equation the gospels no longer good news.

The idea of a God who is love can't be a god of wrath is ridiculous because wrath and love are not mutually exclusive. They're actually mutually dependent. If God truly loves you, how could he not be furious about what sin is doing to you? And what sin is doing through you? If God didn't love you there would be no rap because he loves you. There's unbelievable Wrath.

All right. So, let it sink in without Christ without the gospel by Nature children of Wrath.

but

oh, I like big butts in the gospel.

but God being rich in Mercy because of the great love with which he loved us. Listen to what this says and don't misunderstand. It does not say but feeling particularly generous looked at us and was so impressed with what we what we've been doing that he decided to love us.

You ain't that lovable? Do you were a child of rap? Let it sink in?

We got looked at you without Jesus when God looked at you before the gospel what he saw was your sin.

I love you because you were lovable. He made you lovable because he loves you. God being rich in Mercy, you deserve it. We didn't earn it doesn't love you because you've been more moral and made better choices than your neighbor or your friends. Are you the rest of your family? It's his Mercy.

Made you lovable because he loves you. God being rich in Mercy because of the great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ It Is by Grace you have been saved. Raised up with him and seated us with him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Again, can you raise yourself up in the Christ? This is an act of God. Holy spirit's not mentioned all over this. So that in the coming ages? Let us think him. Why did God say be what did God save you for? So that in the coming ages, he might show the immeasurable riches. Up his grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. We've been saved from something for something. We've been saved from the penalty if I since we've been saved from being children of Wrath to being children of God, we've been saved from that for the reality of experiencing the fullness of God's love forever. My sign all my emails The Best Is Yet To Come. Does whatever you've experienced of God's goodness so far in your life. It is a sliver compared to what God is going to reveal over the Aeons of Eternity.

You've been saved by God in order to be loved by God.

R&R gospel when we just make it forensic we just haven't forgiven. I have no more saying I get to go to heaven. Relation. We miss the glory and the beauty of the Gospel. It's not just that be forgetting your sympathy forgave your sins. So you could be an intimate beautiful transparent relationship with m. I mean, the only way to happen is through the working of the spirit. And in fact, it is the primary and first thing the spirit does to and in each of God's children. Let's go to Romans chapter 8 Maybe one of the greatest chapters in all scripture. I'm going to pick up in verse 9.

It says that's you, ever. Are not in the flesh but in the spirit developing this this way of looking at life, we can either live life in the flash in the body in our own leading or we can live life in the spirit in God's leading. We can be in our own kingdom or we can be in God's Kingdom.

Did you ever not in the flesh but in the spirit if in fact the spirit of God dwells in you?

How do you know you're you're in the spirit with the spirit dwells in you? But he clarifies it even more. He says anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Let that sink in for a moment. Listen to what he say.

If you don't have the spirit. You don't belong to Christ if you don't belong to Christ you are still dead in your sins. A child of Wrath not a child of God. Listen to what he's saying. How is it that we've allowed ourselves in the Evangelical Church to ignore the spirit of God's process. If you don't have the spirits you don't have Christ if you don't have Christ you have anyting

Does fasting we ask people to find out if they're Believers if they're Christians, would you believe did you pray a prayer to do did you walk a Nile? Did you make a profession and we can pull up verses that talk about publicly confessing and all that sort of stuff but it's fascinating and he talked to them about whether they're really in Christ or not. He doesn't say did you believe he doesn't say did you pray he always says you have the spirit?

Listen, I got to clarify because of our cultural contact. That doesn't mean are you speaking in tongues? Are you rolling around on the ground had you had been Ethan throw you across the room. That's not what he saying.

What do you say? Without the spirit you don't belong to Christ.

So let's keep reading. He says but if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin. The spirit is life because of righteousness.

I'll see now. We're starting to get to the fullness of the Gospel in Jesus did not die and rise again just so that I could be forgiven of sin. Jesus died and rose again so that I could be free upset. What an infinite difference there is between just being forgiven and to being free. Jesus did not die and rise again just to clear your lecture. Jesus died and rose again to change your nature if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. You're not just forgiven you're free. The power of sin has lost its power in Christ because of the spirit. Not just forgiving were free. I just forgiven with free.

if the spirit of him Who raised Jesus from the dead? dwells in you

What a thot. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead after he drains the wine cup of the fury of the wrath of almighty God after he'd pay consumers upon himself after he died the death that we have all deserve if the spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your Mortal Mortal bodies through his Spirit dwells in you.

Spirits given to give us life

Yes, it's a power. Yes, it brings change, but it's not external its internal that results in external the spirit changes us from the inside out.

So then Brothers Sweet were debtors. Not not to The Flash. Set the living according to the flash for if you live according to the flesh you will die. But if by the spirit you put to death the Deeds of the body.

You will live.

for all who are LED by the spirit of God Are the sons and daughters of God?

for all who are Ladd by the spirit of God are the sons and daughters of God for you did not receive the spirit of slavery. the fall back into fear But you have received the spirit of adoption as Sons and Daughters by whom we cry Abba Father.

Why did why did God give you the spirit? To save you from something for something. To give you forgiveness and to Grant you Freedom. Why did God give you the spirit so that you might know God as your father. At that sink in this morning.

that doesn't want to just use you. Once you You're not just a function you matter to him and the spirit is not just come to charge you up so that you can do amazing things for the spirit has been given to you to validate and verify that you belong to him to move you to see God as father.

To bring the reality of his love into your experience.

Spirit himself Bears witness with our spirit that we our children a guy

that's my prayer this morning.

That we might know through the indwelling of the spirit that we belong to God and I know that sounds simple, but I think it's one of those simple things that would change everything I believe. that if you believe if I believe really believe That I'm accepted and adopted and loved by God. The God is with me and for me that there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ as if I really believe that it would change everything.

everything the problem is there still parts of me that don't believe that and that's that's where we have to be led by the spirit. That's that process of sanctification going from unbelief to believe. It's the beauty of repentance. Let me just clarify something about repentance. The word repentance metanoia means to change your mind to change direction is presented like this and I've often presented it like this. We're walking in a in a Direction. So I'm a child of Wrath. I'm following the world. I'm following the prince of the power of the air. I'm following my desires by NSync. I'm walking this way. Jesus comes with the good news announcement that says you don't have to walk that way anymore.

Too often we think repentance is okay. Now I'm going to turn. And I'm going to walk in righteousness. I'm going to go to church. I'm going to tithe. I'm going to volunteer at VBS.

I'm going to see if we think that it's it's it's from this way of life to a religious or righteous or a moral way of life. That's that's not what repentance is. The essence of that that road that were on as children of Wrath is not the things that we do. It's the things that we believe about God. The essence of being a child of rap is saying I don't want God I can do it without God I can be my own God. And repentance is the act of turning from a life without God to a life with God. It's always a turning to Jesus. It's relational. I've been living without Jesus in my finances. I've been living without Jesus in my entertainment. I've been living without Jesus in my sexuality. I've been living without Jesus in my politic. I don't just take the totality of your existence. We're walking is Children of Wrath without Jesus and the and the spirit comes Upon Us gransys repentance and return not to a way of life without Jesus. return to Jesus

relational

It's the holy spirit that makes that real in our life. The holy spirit's that reminds us and Henry calls the truth that we belonged to got the spirit himself Bears witness with our spirit that we are children of. Let me say this as clearly as I can. I don't mean to be harsh but I got to speak the truth this morning if you have never experienced the holy spirit of God. Bringing to you the sense that you belong to the father according to Romans chapter 8. You're not safe.

I'm not the judge. I can't tell you if you're saved or not prison, that's not what I'm trying to do here. But listen if you're sitting here this morning and you think your saved because you prayed a prayer you think you're safe because you walked and I'll you think you're safe cuz you gave some money or you did something or you're a little bit more more than somebody else. If you think you're saved and you don't have the spirit of God. You're not saved.

Are there moments when those who have been saved grieve and quench the spirit of God, of course other moments when we don't feel the spirit testifying within us that we belong to God. Of course, you know what those moments are there moments of repentance their moments of sanctification their moments when we return from the way that were leaving without Jesus empowered by the spirit to turn to Jesus.

I just saw a my heart is my are so many I believe in the American Church who have been deceived and deluded into thinking that they've received the gospel and they really haven't.

Spirit himself Bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if we are children then heirs Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ and that's good news right now. If we're children then where are we got an inheritance coming? We got a future my dad. He's bigger than your daddy.

Provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Well, that's the nature of faith in a broken world. There's no Crown without a cross. Jesus suffered we're going to suffer in fact to all who desire to live a Godly life in Christ. Jesus must suffer persecution Having the Holy Spirit adopt and accept you and how are you testify that you belong to God is not a guarantee that your life will be easier simpler pain-free. It's not a guarantee that God is going to give you everything that you desire. It is the guarantee that you're going to encounter the life of Jesus a life where the spirit leads you in the places that you'd rather not go but when he leaves you there You are comforted. because he Is with you?

What a God we have. What a gospel of grace.

Is good. To be loved by God. Do you know?

love of the father