Our gospel came not unto you
in word only. He specifically gives us that
negative because so many meetings where the gospel is
presumed to be preached, where it's said it's gonna be preached,
it's just a bunch of words. Even if I know what to say, if
I have not love, I'm a sounding brass, a tinkling cymbal. It's
just words without knowledge. The Jews had a zeal of God, but
not according to knowledge. But it comes in power, as we
said before, and in the Holy Ghost. The gospel is the very
power of God unto salvation, the Lord reveals to us. And that's
interesting because it is a man. It is a man speaking. It is a
man opening the word of God and teaching from the scriptures
the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. But our Lord tells
us that when the gospel goes forth, that's the power of God
unto salvation. In other words, God exerts his
power in saving sinners this way. And we've got to understand that.
We're not in the business of convincing people of the rightness
of our doctrine. We can persuade people intellectually
and logically that God elected a people, and that's a wonderful
truth. That's a wonderful truth. But
when the Lord said the devils believe, and tremble that you
believe in God, you do well, but you're no better than the
devils in that. The devils are probably pretty
sound doctrinally. They know what God did. He elected
a people, that's so clear in the scripture. People avoid that
truth because it shuts them up to Christ. It makes it not up
to them. You know how religion loves to
say, it's up to you, it's up to you, and when they realize,
logically that nothing's up to them, that it's all God, then
they hate that, and they make up their own gospel, which is
not another. But we might convince someone
logically of truths in the scripture concerning the Lord and what
he did, but that's not the business that we're in. Not primarily. If we can, from the scriptures,
preach Christ, the Lord will reveal Christ to a sinner, a
person. Salvation's a person. And then
when you know him, you know that of course everyone he died for
is redeemed, because he's God's son. Of course atonement is effectual. Of course he didn't die in an
effort to save people that are gonna go to hell. So what does
his death have to do with salvation? It's just gonna, knowing him
is saving. And the truth about him comes with knowing him. So that's
what we want. We want sinners to know Him. To know Him. You see it in the
pictures of salvation, don't you? Sinners didn't, when somebody
had a great need, they brought them to the Savior. They didn't
sit out with Him and teach them all about what was wrong with
them and what they might want to do. No, they just brought
them to the Savior. He fixes them. And that's true in the gospel.
I would bring you to the very feet of God's son. And I don't
know if he'll have mercy on you or not. He said, I'll have mercy
on whom I will have mercy, not whom I will have for him to have
mercy on, but I'll tell you this, I want to find out this morning
if he'll have mercy on you. Like that leopard, Lord, if you
will, you can make me clean. Don't you want to know if he
will or not? You come to him and he will,
he will. But it's no ordinary speech or
lecture that we present to try to convince people intellectually.
It's the means whereby God gives life to dead sinners, that we've
got to understand that. If somebody that you love is
lost, by all means, teach them the truth and try to convince
them of the truth. But they need to know somebody. And that happens through the
preaching of the gospel. By grace through faith, in Christ
whom we preach. Now, in the next phrase of this
verse, it says that our gospel came in the Holy Ghost, and it
may seem like we don't speak much about the Holy Ghost here.
When was the last time you preached on the Holy Ghost, Chris? Well,
this past Wednesday night, though I may have never said the words
Holy Ghost, it may seem like we don't speak about the Holy
Ghost and his workings in the matter of salvation, but it's
just that we usually just refer to him as God, and rightly so. That's what the scripture does.
For example, listen to this often quoted verse of scripture, Philippians
2.12. Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not
as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Well, look, it
sounds like it's up to us. Work out your own salvation.
We have to save ourselves. Next verse. For it is God which
worketh in you. both to will and to do of his
good pleasure. You know who that is, that God
right there? That's the Holy Ghost working
in you. He's just referred to as God
most of the time in the scriptures. When it speaks of the salvation
of those in Acts 2.36, listen, therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom
you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. And when they were
pricked in their heart, that is pierced in their heart, God
will come when the gospel is preached. If he's pleased to
have mercy on you that day, he'll stab you in your heart with the
truth. And they said unto Peter and
the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? The Holy Ghost is not mentioned
by name there, but what we just read is our text. It's our tick,
the gospel came to those people in the Holy Ghost. That's what
was different about if it had just been in word only. Many
walked away that day and had no interest. But not these ones,
because the gospel came to them in the Holy Ghost, working in
Simon here to preach the gospel in power. And it's the Holy Ghost
quickening the hearts of those sinners who heard the gospel,
giving them life and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And this
is our desire and our desperate need. When we pray before the
message and we say, Lord, don't leave us alone. Don't leave us
alone. Don't leave us to ourselves today.
It'll be worse than a waste of time. What we're saying is, Lord,
send the Holy Spirit. to guide us, to teach us, to
enlighten us, to save us. We speak of the Trinity of the
Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as distinguishable
persons of the Godhead, but we must always remember that they
are one God. John 10.24, turn over there with
me, please, if you would. John 10.24. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, how long dost thou make us to doubt? If
thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. And Jesus answered them, I told
you and you believed not the works that I do in my father's
name. They bear witness of me, but
you believe not because you are not of my sheep. As I said unto
you, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. Hmm. This sounds certain, doesn't
it? Doesn't sound like he's just
giving the sheep a shot here to do the right thing. They hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life.
And they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. I just assume that in case that's
confusing to you, he's saying it in a way, and my father is
greater than me. But then he says this, I and
my father are one. Don't misunderstand, because
I speak of the father and myself as different persons. I and my
father are one. "'If you've seen me,' he said
to Philip," in John 14, eight, listen to it, "'Philip saith
unto him, "'Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. "'Jesus saith unto him, "'Have
I been so long time with you, "'and yet hast thou not known
me, Philip?' "'He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.'" Was
he being disingenuous when he said that? Was he just trying
to avoid the issue, or was he telling the truth? I suspect
the Son of God was telling the truth. If you've seen me, you've
seen God. You've seen my Father. Well,
how sayest thou then, show us the Father? Show us the Father. We can distinguish the various
offices of the persons in the Godhead. We say according to
the revelation in the Scriptures concerning Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, we say that the Father elected his people. He loved
them from eternity and elected them. And that's clear in the
word of God. We can say that the Son redeemed
with his precious blood. The Holy Spirit didn't do that.
The Son did. The Son of God hung on a cross
and shed his precious blood for his people. The Holy Spirit gives
sinners spiritual life. in the actual experience of salvation,
what we are experiencing is regeneration or life-giving power of the Holy
Spirit of God working in us, revealing Christ to us. But remember
this now, never forget that the Lord Jesus Christ is called the
Everlasting Father in Isaiah chapter nine. And the Holy Ghost
is called the Spirit of Christ Romans chapter 8 Turn with me to John 6 63 if
you would And let's see as we read this all three persons of
the Godhead working in the saving of a sinner What this is doing
is reinforcing in our minds and hearts, I pray by God's grace,
how that salvation is of the Lord. It's not just a sinner
hearing some true things and agreeing with them and walking
down an aisle and saying, I want to go to heaven when I die. That's
not salvation. Salvation is a creative miracle
of God performed on a sinner. And the Holy Spirit is very much
involved in that. So John 6, 63, let's look at
this together, and look at all the persons of the Godhead here. It is the Spirit that quickeneth,
not a word we use every day, but it just means giveth life.
It is the spirit that gives life. The flesh profiteth nothing.
You can't make yourself alive from the dead. Doesn't matter
how smart you are. If I have all knowledge and understand
all mysteries, and if I have all faith so that I can move
mountains, if it's not saving faith, if I'm not in love with
the Savior, by the grace of God, you know, that salvation is falling
in love with Christ. And you know why we would do
that? How is a sinner, how come some sinners fall in love with
the Lord and some don't? We love him because he first
loved us. That's why. His love is the cause
of our love. And he loves those that he chose
from the foundation of the world. He hateth all workers of iniquity
psalm 5 5 by nature apart from Christ And by God's grace his love is
in Christ nothing shall be able to separate us from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord It's the spirit John 6 63 it's
the spirit that quicken is the flesh prophet of nothing and
All this walking out and saying sinner's prayer, that's just
a, it's not gonna profit anybody ever. Working yourself up into some
kind of an emotional frenzy and raising your arms and jumping
over pews or whatever you do, profiteth nothing. The words
that I speak unto you, their spirit and their life, But there
are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the
beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray
him. And he said, therefore said unto
you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto
him of my father. Now the word of the spirit gives
life. And he said, the words that I
speak are the spirit because that's how the Holy Spirit comes
in the preaching of the gospel. And he turns the light on. We
see who Christ is. We're able to come to an acknowledgement
of the truth because God grants us repentance and gives us spiritual
life by the Holy Ghost. That's what quickening is, spiritual
life. And then He says, no man cometh
unto me except the Father which hath sent me drawing. There's
the Father. He's gonna bring you to his Son by the Holy Spirit. And where does he bring you?
To the Son. The Son. He that hath the Son
hath life. And he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. So you see all three persons
there. It is the Spirit that quickeneth. Now listen, this
is word for word of a definition of the word quicken in that text
right there that we just read. Here's a word for word definition
of the Greek word for quicken, produces alive, begets, that causes to live, that makes
alive, that gives life, the spirit of God. Are you alive this morning? Or are you dead while you live? The difference is the spirit.
I'll tell you this now. Listen, we're not done. The spirit
quickens, but how does he do that? What's involved in that? Remember now that even when the
Holy Ghost is not mentioned by name, Listen to Ephesians 2.4,
but God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us
together with Christ. By grace you're saved. The Holy
Spirit quickens us together with Christ. He gives us the life
of Christ in us. By grace are you saved. Now listen,
we know now that the Spirit quickens and there again in that
passage you have all three persons of the Godhead, the God who is
rich in mercy, the Father. Even when we were dead in sins,
he quickened us together by his Holy Spirit. It's the Spirit
that quickened it. And he quickened us together with Christ. His
only begotten Son. Now we rejoice to see the Holy
Spirit revealed in the Word in His powerful and vital saving
grace. And yet one of the marks, hear
me well now, one of the marks of false religion is their constant
and incessant mention of the Holy Ghost. How in the world
can you say that? They're talking about God. You
said it's just another way of saying God. Look with me in John
16. When false religion, a certain
brand especially, is always saying the Holy Ghost this and the Holy
Ghost that, you mark it down. Listen to John 16, 12. The Lord
Jesus said to his disciples, I have yet many things to say
unto you, but you cannot bear them now, how be it? When he,
the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth,
for he shall not speak of himself. They're not saying Holy Ghost
this and Holy Ghost that by the Holy Ghost. They're saying that
by a false spirit because the real Holy Spirit of God doesn't
speak of himself. That doesn't mean you can't say
Holy Ghost in a gospel message. But when all you talk about is
the gifts of the Spirit and the Holy, we gotta get the Holy Ghost,
we gotta, that's a problem. And we don't
just have that for evidence. The blatant obvious evidence
is they just don't preach Christ, which is what the Holy Spirit
does. Look at the rest of it. How be it? Verse 13, when he,
the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth.
For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak. And he will show you things to
come. He shall glorify me. Wherever the Holy Spirit is present
in a church or in a gospel message, Christ will be exalted. Is that clear? For he shall receive of mine
and shall show it unto you. But what a blessed office that
is. We can't see anything, we can't know anything about Christ
and what he did for sinners without the Holy Spirit. But it's Christ that we see. It's Christ we believe on. All things that the Father hath
are mine, therefore said I that he shall take of mine and shall
show it unto you. Is that what's happening in false
religion? Even many places where the doctrines
of grace are taught, some Presbyterian churches and things like that.
And I don't mean to pronounce woe upon any particular denomination. It's not about a denomination,
it's just about the truth, Christ. I don't care what you call yourself
as long as you're preaching Christ and Him crucified. But where the doctrines of grace
are preached now and yet Christ is not exalted. I've heard it. There's a reason why Paul
said we preach Christ and Him crucified. There's a reason why
the Lord Jesus didn't say to Simon Peter, do you love the
doctrines of grace? Do you love me, me? He said to the Pharisees, you
search the scriptures for them you think you have life. Can
even the word of God be an idol? What did he say? You think you
have life in your knowledge of the Scriptures, but they are
they which testify of me, and you won't come to me that you
might have life. Life is in coming to Him, knowing
Him, believing on Him, bowing to Him, looking to Him, resting
in Him. Salvation's a person. And that's what's so beautiful
about the Holy Spirit. and how we ought to thank God
for his Holy Spirit because we can't see Christ without him. So when you hear a certain sect
of religion making a priority of getting the Holy Ghost so
they can manifest the gifts of the Spirit and their messages
are on receiving the Holy Ghost and not the gospel, you can bank
on it. The Holy Spirit of God has nothing to do with that.
We're told what'll happen when the Holy Spirit's there, and
it ain't happening there. If it was the Holy Spirit by
which they spoke and believe what they believe, he would not
speak of himself, he would speak of Christ and the things of Christ. Where the Spirit of God is, Christ
will be exalted, preached, revealed, and worshiped. Salvation is Christ and is manifest
in a sinner by that sinner falling in love with the Son of God.
The fruit of the Spirit is what? What happens when God saves a
sinner? Simon, do you love me? Do you
love me? Do you love me? The fruit of
the spirit is love. You see how the gospel comes
in the Holy Ghost? Got to, got to. Paul defined a believer this
way in Philippians 3.3. We are the circumcision, that
is the covenant people of God, the circumcision was a sign of
the covenant under the Old Testament law, picturing how that, picturing the circumcision not
made with hands, of the heart, the cutting away of the flesh,
and looking to Christ rather than us. We are the circumcision,
we're God's covenant people, which worship God in the spirit.
We don't worship God with trinkets and religious relics. We don't worship God with puppet
shows and celebrity appearances. We worship him in the spirit
that he gave us, the new heart that he gave us. And you remember the third one?
Here's who we are. the covenant people of God, we
worship God in the Spirit, and we rejoice in Christ Jesus. That doesn't say Christ Jesus
is one of the things we rejoice in. That says our rejoicing is
in Him, not in our religious achievements, not in our religious
obedience, not in our knowledge of doctoral facts. We rejoice
in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. And
we have no confidence in this flesh. The fruit of the Spirit is what? Joy. We rejoice in Christ. Rejoice
where always? In the Lord. And remember what
that word Lord means. You look it up if you want to.
But I'll tell you what it means. It means he owns you. It means
the one who owns you and has the power of deciding. Not up to you. The Lord by title,
by right. by His sovereign glory has the
right to decide. He said, I'll have mercy on whom
I will. And whom I will, I'll harden. As I always say to you, I recommend
bowing. I highly recommend bowing to
Him and throwing yourself on His mercy. He delights to show
mercy. But He shows mercy to beggars,
doesn't He? He shows mercy to sinners. Salvation is peace with God. And the Lord Jesus Christ made
peace by the blood of his cross, reconciling us to God by his
substitutionary sacrifice. Calvary we use these big words
sometimes, but that just means he took our place He suffered
the wrath of God for me in my place in my stead. He's my substitute His sacrifice on Calvary for
me was substitutionary he bore God's wrath for me for my sins
and saved me and But how do we experience that peace in our
hearts? The fruit of the Spirit is peace. Salvation, worked in a sinner's
heart, sets us on our heels when it comes to judging others and
condemning others. You know, that's just a way of
life with people that don't know Christ. It's always looking down
on somebody else. We exalt ourselves by belittling
others. Saving mercy will set you back
on that. I guarantee you that. Because
when God suffers along with us and he shows us that in all of
our kicking against the goats, he's had mercy rather than giving
us what we deserve. We see longsuffering for the
virtue that it is. But how shall we ourselves be
like our Lord at all in that? The fruit of the Spirit is longsuffering. Thank God that the gospel comes
in the Holy Ghost. Salvation's a new creature, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works. And that new creation that God
has ordained, by the way, that we should walk in them, you're
not getting any glory out of it. Do you want any? Do you wanna
get puffed up and brag about your good works this morning?
We're not getting any glory. He works in us. And that new
creation, that new heart that he gives, that new man, it wars
against the flesh and seeks to do right and to be kind. And
the word signifies benignity. When something or someone is
benign, that means they won't hurt you. Do we have any of that? The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. Gentleness. And that new heart
in you as a believer, by God's grace, now he's created in righteousness
and true holiness, the new man. He's upstanding, he's honest.
Paul said, I provide things honest in the sight of all men. I have
no desire to hurt you. I've got no desire to deceive
you. Where'd that come from? The fruit of the spirit is goodness. This is that excellent spirit
that was found in Daniel, in Daniel 5.12. Salvation is by
grace through faith. But where does faith come from? Is it a virtue found in some
people by nature, but not others? For without doubt, some believe
and some don't. No, the fruit of the spirit is
faith. Galatians chapter five now, not
making it up. Whenever someone believes on
the Lord Jesus Christ, it is because our gospel came unto
you in the Holy Ghost. Remember the plain spoken way
that our Lord described salvation to Nicodemus in John three, verses
one through eight. You must be born from above. The wind blows where it pleases,
where it listeth, where it wants to. And you see signs of it. You hear the sound of the wind.
You see it moving the trees. You see the effects of it, but
you don't know where it came from or where it'll go next.
That's the way it is, our Lord said with the spirit, he goes
where he pleases. And you can see the effect. You
can see the fruit of the Spirit in people. It says, when Barnabas went to
a certain place where the gospel had been preached, he saw the
grace of God. How do you see the grace of God? By the fruit of the Spirit in
sinners like us. So you see why we don't appeal
to the sinner to get saved or to do something in order to be
saved, to recommend themselves to God or teach the blasphemy
that faith is a work, or by some sinners distinguish themselves
from others. We say by God's grace with Jonah
that salvation is of the Lord, and you see why, because our
gospel comes in the Holy Ghost. God purposed salvation. God loved
particular sinners with an everlasting love and with loving kindness,
he drew them to his son. He chose them in Christ unto
salvation and God sent his son to be the propitiation for their
sins. And God sends his gospel, which is the power whereby he's
pleased to save them that believe. And God sends his Holy Spirit
when the gospel is preached, when it pleases him, to quicken sinners who are dead
and trespasses and sins and give them life and faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. The gospel does not come with
enticing words of man's wisdom. The flesh profiteth nothing. It's the spirit that gives life. Turn with me to one final verse
in closing. First Corinthians 2.1. First Corinthians 2.1. "'And I, brethren, when I came
to you, "'came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, "'declaring
unto you the testimony of God.'" Here's the gospel being preached. "'For I determined not to know
anything among you "'save Jesus Christ "'and Him crucified.'" Well, wait a minute, he left
out the Holy Ghost. No, he didn't. by the Holy Ghost, Paul was involved
in what the Holy Ghost does. He takes the things of Christ
and shows them to sinners. And I was with you in weakness
and in fear and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom. I wasn't trying
to get you to do something. but in demonstration of what
he did. And he might do for sinners when
the gospel's preached. In demonstration of the spirit
and of power. That's our turn. Our gospel came
to you in power and in the Holy Ghost. That your faith should
not stand in the wisdom of men. Well, I believe the doctrines.
That's good. But your faith shouldn't be in
the wisdom of men. Even though it's God that's revealed
it, it's wise, it's right. But not with enticing words of
man's wisdom, because I don't want you to believe me. I want
you to believe Him. I don't want you to just agree
with me. In fact, I don't want you to
do anything. When the gospel comes in power
and in the Holy Ghost, that means God's gonna do something. We don't come here to try to
get sinners to do something for God. It is our prayer and heart's
desire, as Paul said, that God would do something for you. And
I know this, I don't know whether he will or not, but I know if
he does something for you, I know how he'll do it. Because he told
me, by the preaching of the gospel, it pleased God to save sinners. May it ever be so in this place. to the salvation of God's elect
and to the sweet comfort of his sheep. Amen, let's pray.