All right, turn to John chapter 14 if you would. John chapter 14. You recall in our previous study of chapter 10, we're following along our brother Don Fortner in the book that he wrote titled Basic Bible Doctrine. In each chapter we take a different look at a basic doctrine, a basic teaching, a simple And Don graciously has been given the gift to take us through the scriptures and see that gift.

And here in John chapter 14, Don takes from these words, where we read, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth. whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

The title for chapter 11 is, The Person and Work of God the Holy Spirit. And we'll be in this chapter probably for at least two Sundays, maybe three. And Don begins by stating this, he says, as God the Son is the gift of the Father to His elect, God the Holy Spirit is the ascension gift of the enthroned Christ to His church and kingdom in this gospel age.

Now I read that slowly, I wanted you to grab a hold of it. Just as the Father gave us the gift of His Son, our substitute, The Ascended Son, the One who sits on His throne this very moment, as we just read there in John 14, sends us the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of God is our gift from Christ Himself. He is described as our Comforter. The promise of the Father and the blessings of Abraham.

Turn over to John 14. No, we just read that. Turn over to 1 Thessalonians 4. Look over at 1 Thessalonians. Chapter 4. We're talking about the promise of the Spirit. In 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 7-8, we read these words, For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despises, despises not man, but God who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit. So we see here that this promise comes through us today.

Now turn over to another one if you would, Acts. Go to the left and turn over to Acts, just the other side of Romans. Acts chapter one. verses four and five, and being assembled, this is Acts chapter one, verse four, and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait, and now we're talking about the promise of the Spirit to God's people, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith, ye have heard of me, for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, Not many days hence.

One more if you would go back again to the right to Galatians. Galatians just before Ephesians. Chapter 3. We're talking about the Spirit of God who is throne from his ascended throne and here in Galatians 3 verse 13 and 14 we read these words Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse forth for it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on the tree that the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles and through Jesus Christ and we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Now, Don goes on, he says, in his office, in the Spirit's office, capacity, the Holy Spirit is distinctly set before us in the New Testament as the gift of God to his church and his people through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, our exalted King and Lord and King. In this day of religious confusion, in which men and women have substituted sentimentality, sensualism for substantial gospel truths, in this day when most everybody confuses emotionalism with worship, there is much need for clear biblical instruction with regard to the person and work of God, the Holy Spirit.

In this study, Don says, I want to show you six things. And we're going to look at two of them this morning. We're not going to have time to look at all six. Lord willing, we'll come back next week. And if we don't have enough time to look at the remaining four then, in his closing statements, we'll come back a week again after that.

He says he wants to show us six things from the word of God about the person and work, and that's important that God says this, the person and work, because the Holy Spirit is a person. And listen to these words, he says, the Holy Spirit is himself God, and this is the first point, the Holy Spirit is himself God, the third person of the Holy Trinity, and in all things equal with God the Father and God the Son.

And he begins this part, this first point, with this. He says, he is named as one with the Father and of the Son, both in the apostolic benediction and in the inspired definition of the Trinity given by the Apostle John. Listen to these words from 2 Corinthians 13, verse 14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost. Did you hear how that went? See how that separated the three? We look at the Spirit sometimes, and Donald will bring this out in a moment. Sometimes we look at the Spirit as just a puff that floats around out there. Folks, the Spirit is just as God the Father and God the Son. They are three that bear record in heaven. That's what this is telling us here. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, there's one, and the love of God, there's two, and the communion. of the Holy Ghost, 2 Corinthians 13, 14.

What about these words from 1 John chapter 5? For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.

Far too often, writes Don, men and women think of the Holy Spirit as a great force. That's what I was talking about a moment ago. All they think about is just this force, like the wind. You know, the Bible describes being born again. As the wind bloweth, so is the Spirit of God. And they take that and they express, well, that's all the Spirit is. He's just a piece of wind that blows around. Not at all. a mighty influence is what they think for good, or an emanation of God. Folks, I'll admit to you that I fell into that very same thing. I have fallen into that myself, in thinking that very thing.

Don says this, he says, let us never dishonor the Spirit by such low thoughts of Him. And I thought about that as I read this very thing. You know, I wonder if I do think of the Holy Spirit in lowly ways as just that, as just an influence of God. Don writes, we cannot lie to an emanation, a puff of wind. As Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost, we cannot lie to just a puff of wind. We cannot grieve a force as believers are said to grieve the Holy Spirit by unkindness done to one another. We cannot blaspheme or influence as all those who willfully turn away from Christ and his gospel in rebellion and obstinate unbelief. Plain and simple, writes Don, the Holy Spirit is God.

Secondly, he brings out this, and we'll spend the rest of our time. Actually, there's two more. No, this is it. We'll spend the rest of this morning just looking at this. The work of the Holy Spirit is as necessary for salvation of God's elect as the works of the Father and the Son. Far too often, writes Don, We think of the covenant of grace as a covenant made between the Father and the Son, don't we? We think of the only two in the beginning of time, before time began, the only two before the world was ever created was God the Son and God the Father. And I fall into this, I fall into this trap myself. We think of it too often as it just being between the God the Father and God the Son. Don writes, it is not. It is a covenant made between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

God the Father elected us unto salvation. Look over at Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. God the Father elected us unto salvation. Look at verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, in other words, it comes from Him, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. All of the blessings that flow to you and I through God the Father come through His Son, the Lord Jesus, but they come from Him, from God the Father. He is the one who has elected us unto salvation. Look at verse four. According as He hath chosen us in Him, God the Father has chosen us in his Son before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him. In love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved, to whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Look at another one if you would. Go to the right. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Look at two verses over there with me if you would. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. Look how it brings out that God the Father chose us. He elected us. He predestinated us unto salvation. Verse 13, but we are bound to give thanks always to God. That's speaking of God the Father. For you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through the sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you see the difference in the three there? Don goes on, he says, he chose us, speaking of God the Father. He adopted us. He blessed us. He predestinated us unto heavenly glory. We rejoice in that. Without election, no one could never have been saved.

However, the Father's election by itself could never save a sinner. We also had to be redeemed. Folks, God's justice had to be met. And God Himself cannot die, can He? Something had to be done. And that's what Don brings out next. He says, God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, volunteered to redeem us and become our substitute. Again, look over at Ephesians chapter 1, this time beginning at verse 7, where we left off. Turn back again to the left for Ephesians chapter one, verse seven. In whom we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Now look at verse eight. Wherein he hath abounded to us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself. that in the dispensation of the fullness of time, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and are on earth, even to him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ.

Listen to these words from Hebrews 7 verse 22. By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. Christ had to redeem his people. So we see where God the Father's work was giving a people unto the Son and the Son's work was to redeem those people that we might spend an eternal bliss with our Lord and Savior God Almighty.

As Judah spoke to Israel, his father, that would be Jacob, to those who remember, Jacob's name was changed to Israel. Remember when Judah, his son, spoke to his dad about his son and he gave himself as a covenant, a covenant to his dad for the sake of his son? That's in Genesis 43, 9. And he became a surety for him, I assure you. I set my life down upon him in the case that I will bring him back to you. So our Lord, Jesus Christ, spoke for God's elect and became our surety in the covenant of grace before the world began, assuming total responsibility for the everlasting salvation of our souls.

The Father trusted the Son with our souls, as we read in John 6, John 10, and John 17, and Ephesians 1. They struck hands, as it were, and the covenant was set in motion. Then, in the fullness of time, Christ redeemed his elect. He bought us with his own precious blood. The Lord Jesus Christ brought in everlasting righteousness by his obedience to God as a man. He satisfied the justice of God by his death upon the cursed tree, and he obtained eternal redemption for all of God's elect.

Turn over to Hebrews chapter 9. Look with me at one verse over there. This is speaking about the eternal redemption that Christ accomplished when He came in the covenant of time and laid down His life, over here in Hebrews 9 verse 12, we read this, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered once into the holy place, having obtained, that's past tense, eternal redemption for us.

Yet, Don says, redemption alone, could never bring a sinner to God. Something else must be done. Redemption is a work of God brought for us. Redemption changed our standing, but it did not change us. Though chosen in eternal election and redeemed by Christ's effectual atonement, We could never be saved, we could never enter into heaven until something was done in us. Until grace actually changed us. Redemption alone is not enough. It is written, ye must be born again. Is that not the words of God Almighty in the flesh when he spoke to Nicodemus? Did he not say, ye must be born again?

Don writes, that is the work of God the Holy Spirit, and he wants to show us this. Turn over to John chapter 3. John chapter 3. In verse 5 of John chapter 3, we read these words, Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit." Did you catch that? Did you see who the work of being born again is? The water is the Word of God and it's the Spirit of God that brings the Word of God and makes it effectual to His people in the new heart that they receive from God. That's what that's telling us there, verses five. Look at verse six. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the spirit.

I've looked at that verse, I can't even tell you how many times. And I've thought that very same thing that God told us to be very, very careful of not thinking. The wind bloweth. There's the Spirit of God blowing. Folks, the Spirit of God is God Almighty in the flesh. You know what? That means that everything the Spirit of God does is exactly coherence exactly agreeable with God the Father and God the Son.

Look at another one over at chapter 6, John chapter 6, just turn to the right a little bit, a few pages to John chapter 6. Look over here at verse 63. It is the Spirit that does what? Quicken us. Remember what that word means? Made alive. That means that we were dead, dead in trespasses and sin at one point, and God, the Spirit, had to come to us in the day of His power, in the day of His love, and give life to one who is dead.

63, it is the spirit that quickens. The flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

One more if you would, turn over to Ephesians chapter 2. We just read where it is And look here at chapter 2, verse 1 through 5, if you would. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin. Where in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we have all had our conversations in times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

But God, who is rich in mercy by His great love wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ."

Who was it that quickened us? The Holy Spirit. By grace, we are saved. God the Spirit, writes Don, agreed to effectually apply. That's what this is talking about. That's what's giving life to God's children. It's applying the blood of Christ to every chosen, redeemed sinner, create in each one anew in Christ, give them faith, and to seal them, all the blessings of the covenant. And that's exactly what he has done for us.

Turn back to Ephesians again. Oh, no, we're in Ephesians. Look back over chapter one again, this time verses 13 and 14. In whom ye also trusted. Remember, we left off of that in a moment. And after that ye had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with That Holy Spirit of promise.

Do you see the works of the three here? Do you see how the three work together? But yet, there's three separate people in there. I don't know how to explain that to you. I can't explain to you how God became flesh and how He prepared a body for His Son, the eternal Son of God. I can't explain those things to you. Yet our Lord is so clear throughout His Word as He is right here.

Don closes with this section. He says, In order for a sinner to be saved, God must choose to save him. That's election. God must put away his sin and justify him. That's his redemption. And God must sanctify him. That means set apart, made holy. And that is what we call Regeneration.