The Essential Doctrines of the Church Concerning the Holy Spirit. I want to start off with a quotation from Pastor John MacArthur. And he says that the true biblical doctrine of the triune Godhead affirms that there is one God, not three, in three persons, not one, who are coexistent, co-eternal and co-equal. Well said. The work of the Holy Spirit in reality is omnipresent from eternity and all acceptable worship and service. I forgot to open up my Bible. The Holy Spirit took up his abode in the world in a special sense in all believers, in individuals, as well as corporately, and dwells every believer. In your notes, I provided many references. We're not gonna go through them all today. I wanna try to give some time for some testimony this morning. for individuals to share their experiences concerning the Holy Spirit in their life. He seals us. By his baptism, he unites all believers in Christ in one body. He is the believer source of all power, amen? Let's go through, I wanna go through some of the aspects of the Holy Spirit as depicted throughout scripture. The Holy Spirit as clothing Somebody turned to Luke who wants to read that Luke chapter 24 verse 49 Go ahead 24 49 The Lord clothes us with his Holy Spirit as The Holy Spirit is also depicted as a dove. Somebody turn to Matthew 3.16. Who wants to read that? Go ahead. The Holy Spirit is depicted in Scripture as wind And this is representative our salvation in a visible empowerment by the Holy Spirit somebody read in Let's read John 3 Go ahead Who said that? Go ahead, Rob. Yeah. Amen. The Holy Spirit is also depicted in the scripture as fire. Who wants to read Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 4. Go ahead, bro. Thank you. CVS. 10 bucks. I got to have them. Sorry. Oh, come on, man. Wow. Yes, so that is wind and fire so Next one as well. Yeah, we killed two of them on that one. We also find that the Holy Spirit With his anointing is depicted as oil in 2nd Corinthians 121 who wants to read that go ahead Yeah, I'll fight over it. All right. Yes, he seals us with ownership and security. There you go. I must have missed that one. And that covers the second one as well, a seal and a pledge. I missed that. So who also seals us and gave us a spirit in our hearts as a pledge. And then lastly, the Holy Spirit is depicted as water, representative of salvation, enablement, and induction by the Holy Spirit. Somebody read in John chapter seven, First 38 and 39. Who wants to read that? Go ahead, Aaron. I should have picked Debbie. In the Old Testament The Holy Spirit was referred to from the time of creation when he was moving across the water On the face of the earth in Genesis 1 1 and then through all the prophets who were inspired By the Holy Spirit literally the Holy Spirit breathed into them the words that are written in this book to utter their prophecies. The Hebrew word ruach, hope I said that right, appears in the Old Testament 378 times with the primary reference to the spirit. Somebody read Ezekiel 36. and 26 and 27. The second aspect of the word ruach, meaning by wind, we're gonna read in Exodus chapter 10 and verse 13. You see a common theme through this throughout the scripture. The Holy Spirit is referred to basically in the same manner back then as he is now. Exodus chapter 10. All right. The third aspect of breath, the spirit, the wind, and the breath of God's spirit is found also in Psalm chapter 33 and verse number six. Who wants to take that? Go ahead, John. So context is always, almost always, determines the intended reference. Discussing, distinguishing, for example, between the spirit of God and the spirit of man. So between attitude, and the immaterial part of man. It is not the same thing. It is definitely distinct. So this word, ruach, appears in the Old Testament as the spirit, wind, and breath. When we come to the New Testament, the Greek word for the Holy Spirit is pneuma, which appears 379 times, with the primary reference to guess what? Spirit, wind, and breath. Somebody read 1 Corinthians 2.11. Who wants to do that? Go ahead, Grace. 2.11. Boy, we're gonna finish early. Second Peter, somebody read second Peter, 121. Yeah. Go ahead, Alvin. Yeah. Go ahead. All right. That's awesome. All right. Spirit, wind, and breath. The last reference we're going to cover today is 2 Timothy. Chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. Who wants to do that? Debbie. So the Holy Spirit is vital in the life of each believer. Not only for salvation, but also for regeneration, for sanctification. The work of the Holy Spirit in practicality, the penalty of sin is paid for. The power of sin is broken. The presence of sin still remains in the flesh. Now, this is the part where trips us up. It's the flesh. Therefore, the flesh, what does the New Testament scriptures teach us that we need to do to the flesh continually? Mortify it. Kill it. Put it to death. These are violent words and actions. Why? Because that's what we need to do. Because we are at war with the flesh in our bodies. This is a battle for survival, literally. If we don't get a hold of this part of our with sanctification or walk with God, we're not going to make it. This world is going to destroy us. This is the reason why it's important for us as a body of believers to gather together. This is a very nice crowd. It's really good to see everybody here, to learn, to grow. We need each other. We were talking about this just a little bit a while ago. We need each other. We cannot survive. this world without the help and the fellowship of the saints, the like-minded believers, members of the household of faith coming together, fellowshipping, talking with each other, lifting one another. This is all the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We're gonna read Romans, turn with me to Romans chapter seven. It's a hard, because the subject was so enormous and so big, I had to really break it down to this one thought, the work of the Holy Spirit. It's this, the dual nature, the nature of the flesh and the nature of the spirit. Romans chapter seven, is a beautiful example, starting in verse 14. The way Paul wrote it, it was like he's writing it about me. Is everybody there? For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am a flesh sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing I do not understand, for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Does that ring true to anybody here today? Yeah. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the law, confessing that the law is good, so now, No longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh. For the willing is present within me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good I want, I do not do. But I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but the sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me. The one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man. But I see a different law, the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am, who will set me free from this death, this body of this death. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So then, on the one hand, I myself, with my mind, am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh, the law of sin. The dual nature of a person, a man, men and women, is the conflict that we are struggling with but can be overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit. It's the only way. You can't will it to happen. You can't be good enough. You can't practice morality or different things like that in the flesh because it's false, it's fake, it's gonna fail. The only way we can kill the flesh nature is through the Spirit of God, amen? There is one thing that we can do to put the death to nature, and we all have to do it, is we need to walk with God. What does it mean to walk with God? Does it mean, you know, to just take a little stroll? This is a relationship that we have with God, with the Holy Spirit that comes alongside of us, that it dwells within us. He put it there And the reason he put it there is so that we could overcome the flesh and the sin of the flesh in this world. The influences that come in from the outside, bombarding your mind, you know, they want to change your mind, they want to trip you up, they want to pull you away from God, you know, you got other things to do, you know, rather than serve God, this is more fun, you know what I'm talking about. These things that we go through, you know, that take our focus off of God. The Holy Spirit walks with us and we need to walk with Him. There's a couple of things that we could do, that we need to do to implement, you know, in our lives to walk with God, a better walk with God. Now these are things like when I was saved, first saved, maybe I didn't understand everything because I was young. But as I progressed, as I went through life, things happen. The rebellious nature takes over, took over. And you fall away. You come back. You repent. You fall away. You go here. You go there. Let me try this. Let me try that. This is the struggle and the fight that we have on a daily basis, continual. And the Holy Spirit manages to bring us back, you know, manage to bring back into his, you know, grace. One of the things that we can do to walk, improve our walk with God is to live according to his commands. Turn with me to Psalm chapter one. Somebody read Psalms chapter one. So I want to encourage you in your walk with God to implement these principles. The first one is to walk according to his commands. He wants to do, go ahead Don. So here I am, I think I'm 55. 55? 56, sorry. Here I am, 56. Should be a lot further along in my walk with God than I feel like I am. You know what I'm saying? A lot of times, you know, it's it's Lord this these scriptures did the light In the law of the Lord and thus he meditate day and I do I do that I Find myself busy find myself, you know doing things That take me away from this aspect of my walk with God Certainly those things that we engage in or that take us away are not as important as delighting in meditating in God's word day and night. Amen? Second thing that we could do to help us in our walk with God is to walk in his ways. Somebody read for me Deuteronomy chapter 28. in verse 9. Go ahead, Amy. Being established in him, Keep the commandments of the Lord and walk in His ways. I was talking with Jason the other day. In your walk with God, can you give us a short testimony on how the Lord has dealt with you by His Spirit? Just a short testimony, something that we talked about the other day. I know. But you've been saved for how many years? 15 years. Right. Yeah. Mm. Right. Yeah. Yeah, so the Holy Spirit, how has the Holy Spirit dealt with you walking in His ways? Is it easier or do you find it more difficult or the same or has it become easier to accept the things when God shows you something to make changes in your life? Yeah. Right. Yeah. Right. So you're, yeah, the turnaround is quicker. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Yeah. So in those moments when you know, hey, you know, the Holy Spirit, you know, breaks your heart, you know, and do you immediately go to them or is there a time lag there? Yeah. All right, so don't let the sun go down, right? All right, good. One of the other things that we can do to walk in his ways is to walk uprightly. Somebody read for me Proverbs chapter two and verse number seven and eight, yes. Those who walk in integrity. What does that mean, to walk in integrity? For me, it means that you do what is right, even if nobody's watching. When nobody's looking, you know, do you cheat a little bit? Because nobody's gonna know. Well, you know. We don't do these things, you know, we could lie, we could tell things that are untrue, and nobody's gonna know it, but you know it, and the Holy Spirit deal, you know, will prick your heart and say, you better put that away, you know, it's these things that you do in secret, one day it's gonna come to light. I was talking with John Hurd the other day, Now, John Hurd has been saved for many years, a long time. He's got a lot of wisdom to share. John, in your walk with God in the workplace at Exxon, walking in integrity, how does the Holy Spirit dealt with you at your workplace in situations? So in your workplace, like when you were walking in integrity, how did the Holy Spirit help you in situations where, you know, those guys are difficult to work with. I don't know if you work with plant people, but they're difficult. Sorry, Randy. Yeah. Yeah. Right. And this is true. So, still a work in progress, huh, John? Amen. Right. So. Even, even. Thank you, John. I appreciate that testimony. It's so true. But walking in his ways uprightly. What we need to practice amen difficult at times, but the Holy Spirit will help you in that aspect the fourth thing in his statutes and in his judgments Ezekiel chapter 37 and verse 24 Go ahead The keeping of God's statutes and judgments and the observance of them is not just for leadership in the church, it's not just for the elders or the deacons, it's for everyone, every believer. Let's move on to The fifth aspect of our walk with God is we need to walk with him in newness of life. Romans chapter six. And verse number four. Go ahead. newness of life, not the old ways, not our former self, but the new self, which has put away the flesh nature, which put to death continually those things that grieve the Holy Spirit. And we all know what that is. Each one is different. Galatians chapter five, turn with me. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 16 Who wants to read that All right, I'll read it but I say Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh walking by the Spirit in the Spirit I was talking with Aaron the other day about how long have you been saved, Aaron? So about 10 years. So less than that? Oh, come on. So we were talking about carrying out the deeds of the flesh, Tell us about the way the Holy Spirit has dealt with your life, in your life, about this flesh nature and how he's helped you. Hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Amen. Yeah. Work in progress. That's, that's the, that's the thing. The work in progress. We all, are a work in progress uh... one of the things that uh... the seventh thing that we could do is to walk by faith and not by sight second corinthians chapter five verse six and seven says therefore being always of good courage and knowing that while we are at home in in the body we are absent from the lord we walk by faith and not by sight put on Aspects in in your walk with God the last thing that we cover we're gonna cover is Our walk with God is in the light as he is in the light in first John Chapter 1 verse 6 and 7 If we say that we have fellowship with him and Yet walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not practice truth. But if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. I hope that these testimonies, and I thank everybody who gave a testimony. I know it's not comfortable, it's not easy, but I do appreciate it. We need to hear from each other that our struggle and our walk with God is similar. We're all going through pretty much the same thing in different ways. We need each other, and we need to talk to each other. We need to lift each other up. We need to gather together, go to each other's houses, eat, barbecue, whatever, fellowship, all of these things. If you have anything that you need, feel free to call our elders, our pastor and Jason and the deacons. They will be more than happy to talk and to share and to fellowship and do whatever it takes to lift you up when you're struggling. Because the struggle is real, the battle is real, amen? And the Holy Spirit, is here, he's present and he's indwelling. And he's a source of comfort, source of strength, and I hope that you run to him when you feel like there's no other choice, that there's nothing else you can do and you feel lost. The Holy Spirit will guide and lead you. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, For this time that we had together to share testimonies, Lord, we thank you, Lord, for your spirit. We thank you, Lord, for your indwelling. We thank you, Lord, for the strength that you give us to walk by faith, not by sight. We thank you, Lord, for giving us hope and salvation, that our salvation is secure in you. We just give you all the praise and glory. Fill your people with your spirit, Lord, on a daily basis. And I pray, Lord, that each one of us will begin to increase in our walk with you and put away the things of the flesh. And we just give you all the glory and the honor and the praise. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.