I did choose thee. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. In John 7, verse 38, the Lord
says, he that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out
of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Verse 39, but, This spake he of the Spirit,
the Holy Spirit of God, which they that believe on him should
receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet
given. And in My King James, the given
is in italics. It could probably more accurately
be read, the Holy Ghost was not yet. Because that Jesus Christ
was not yet glorified. I've entitled this message, The
Holy Ghost was not yet. I pray that by the end of this
message, we'll understand what is meant by that. He that believeth on me. That's talking about faith in
Christ. You believe on Christ when you
trust Him as all that's needed to make you acceptable before
God. That's faith. It's trusting Him. He that believeth on me. I love that scripture in Romans
4, verse 5, when Paul says, to him that worketh not, but believeth
on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. I want you to think about that.
To him that worketh not, but believeth. You cannot work and
believe at the same time. You're either working or you're
believing. You can't do both. to him that
worketh not, but believeth on me. As the scripture has said,
out of his belly, these are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ,
that one who believes out of his belly, a work done on the
inside in his innermost being, out of his belly shall flow continuously,
nonstop rivers of living water. Now, I want us to look at where
our Lord first mentioned this living water in John chapter
10, or John chapter 4, beginning in verse 10. The Lord is talking
to the woman at the well. And Jesus answered and said unto
her, if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith
to thee, give me to drink, thou would have asked of him. and
he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir,
thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence
then hast thou that living water? She didn't know what he was talking
about. Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave
us this well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and
his cattle? She demonstrates. She has no idea who it is she's
speaking of. Are you greater than Jacob? Of course he is.
He's the creator of Jacob. Jesus answered and said unto
her, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. Now he's talking about the water
that was in that well. You drink it, it may temporarily
quench your thirst, but you're gonna become thirsty again. And
you can say that about anything in this life. You can find satisfaction
in it temporarily. but you will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that
I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing
up into everlasting life. Now, what is the Lord talking
about? He's talking about complete satisfaction
with living water. Now, there's nothing about myself
that I'm satisfied with. I'm not satisfied with one second
of one day, it's not been good enough as far as that goes. I'm
not satisfied with my preaching. I've never preached the gospel
as freely as I should. I've never preached it as exclusively
as I should. I want to, but there's nothing
in this world that I'm satisfied with because I'm involved in
it. But let me tell you something I am satisfied with. I'm satisfied
to be saved by Christ, where He does everything and I do nothing. It's all Him. I find complete
satisfaction in that. I find such satisfaction in the
fact that everything God requires of me, He looks to Christ for. I find such satisfaction in His
precious blood making me perfect before God and it didn't have
anything to do with my works. That's all that satisfies me. If you give me something I must
do before God can do something for me, I'm scared to death.
I get no satisfaction from that. But oh, how satisfied I am with
in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and you
are complete. in Him, lacking nothing. I can't get any more loved by
God. I can't get any more pleasing
to God. I can't get any more saved than I am in Christ Jesus. All God requires of me, I have
in Christ. I, near, so near to God, near,
I cannot be. In the person of His dear Son,
I'm as near to God as He. Dear, so dear to God, dearer,
I cannot be. In the person of His dear Son,
I'm as dear to God as He. Now, I'm satisfied with that. I'm not looking for anything
else. Somebody says, there's got to be something else. Well,
you just haven't seen this, or you wouldn't say that. If you
ever are satisfied with Christ, you'll look for nothing else. And with regard to everything
else, The only thing that satisfies me is Romans 8 28 says, and we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. That means that
everything in my life, all things in my life, God is working together
for good. my good and his glory. You know, Joseph said to his
brothers, you meant it for evil. You had a very wicked motive
in what you were doing. You meant it for evil, but God
meant it for good. Everything in my life God means
for good. And if He means for something
to happen, it happens. It's not like this is Him wishing me well.
All things work together for good. To them that love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose. There's such
satisfaction in that. But look what he says in verse
39, when he talks about this, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water, verse 39, but this spake he of the Spirit. This experience of out of your
belly flows rivers of living water to where you find complete
and continual satisfaction in Christ alone, nowhere else, that
is the work of God the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, with a believer,
all the experience we have of the gospel, of faith, of repentance,
of love to God, of love to his people, of resting in Christ,
of rejoicing in Christ, all that is from God the Holy Spirit. But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive. Now, why do you
receive the Holy Spirit? The only way you receive the
Holy Spirit is if God gave Him to you. And if God gave Him to
you, you receive Him. And if you never receive Him,
it's because He never gave Him to you. He gives the Holy Spirit
to all of His people. Now, the work of the Spirit in
salvation is just as essential as the work of the Father and
the work of the Son. I must have God the Father elect me. I must
have Christ die for me and put away my sins. And I must have
the Holy Spirit to give me this new heart, this new nature, this
new birth, where out of my belly shall flow rivers of living water. Now, who is the Holy Spirit?
He's the third person of the one God. One God in three distinct
persons. The Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. Now, that's just what the Bible
teaches. I don't understand it, but I believe it. God is one
God. Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy
God is one God. He's one God in three distinct
persons. When the Lord taught his disciples
to baptize, he said, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. John said, there are three that
bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost.
And these three are one. He is God the Spirit. When Ananias
lied, Peter said to Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart
to lie into the Holy Ghost? Thou hast not lied to men, but
unto God. God the Holy Spirit is God. He's just as much God as God
the Father and God the Son, and He's just as much a person as
God the Father and God the Son. He's not an influence. He's not
a force. He's a person. God the Holy Spirit. He's called
in Scripture the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Grace, The eternal
spirit, the spirit of promise, the spirit of Christ, the spirit
of adoption, the comforter. Did you know that he's the one
who wrote the scriptures? Holy men spake of God, spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost. Every word of the Bible, he is
the author of. When the Christ was conceived
in Mary's womb, it was said to be by the Holy Spirit. God, the Holy Spirit is the author
of the new birth. He which is that which is born
of the Spirit is Spirit. He inhabits the preaching of
the gospel. Peter spake of they which have preached the gospel
with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. And all of our experience
of the gospel is through the Holy Spirit. The Father gives
Him, we receive Him. And that is why we have satisfaction
with Christ. Someone who is not satisfied
with Christ, someone who's looking for some work somewhere to make
them complete, they do not have the Holy Spirit. Those who have
the Holy Spirit are continually satisfied with Christ only. They
can't find any comfort anywhere else. Now what does it mean when
it says the Holy Ghost was not yet? We read, But this He spake
of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive,
for the Holy Ghost was not yet. He was not yet given or He was
not yet. What? Does that mean God the
Holy Spirit was not in existence yet? Of course not. He is the
Eternal Spirit. It doesn't mean He was not in
existence yet. What does it mean that Old Testament
believers were not born again? They didn't experience this work
of the Holy Spirit. No, it doesn't mean that either.
The Old Testament has always taught salvation the way the
New Testament teaches. It's not like they're two different
salvations. You know, the Lord said, a new heart I will give
you and a new spirit will I put within you. I'll put my spirit
within you. That's obviously speaking from
the Old Testament Scriptures, it's not saying the Holy Spirit
was not yet operating in the lives of believers. If you were
a believer, if you were saved, it's because God the Holy Spirit
gave you life. David said, take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
He was totally aware of his complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
So what does it mean when it says the Spirit was not yet? Well, in the Old Testament, God spoke to the Jews. The Gentiles
didn't have a Bible. They didn't have a revelation
from God. There was no sacrifice for the Gentiles. The tabernacle
was not for the Gentiles. It was just for the Jews. The
Lord always intended on saving Gentiles, and he does. I'm a Gentile he saved, and there
were some Gentiles he saved in the Old Testament, but for the
most part, God only worked with the Jews and you can't read the
Old Testament and come up with any other conclusion. God's saving
work was for the Jews and the Lord said salvation is of the
Jews. But He doesn't always work just
with the Jews. After the death of Christ, all
of a sudden, salvation was opened up for the whole world. He said,
if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten son. Not Jews, but Gentiles. There's no classes. It's for everybody. That's the
Holy Spirit is now working in that sense. But notice he says
the Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified.
You see this supernatural sweeping work of the Holy Spirit is always
connected with the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
he was not yet glorified. Now what in the world is that
talking about? He was not yet glorified. Well, we read in John
chapter 12 verse 23, And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour
has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Now what
that is talking about is His death. The death of Jesus Christ
is the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the death of
Christ on the cross is the eternal purpose of God. Revelation 13.8
calls Him the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Before there was a creation, He was the Lamb slain. Before
there was ever a sinner, there was a Savior. He's the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. And the cross of Jesus Christ
was not God's response to the fall of Adam. He didn't say,
well, Adam fell and I need to figure out a way to clean up
this mess, I'll do it with the cross. No, the fall of Adam was
for the cross. You see, all of this was purposed
for Christ to be glorified in the cross. Somebody may be thinking,
are you making God the author of sin? I hate it when people
ask that question. Maybe you're not asking it, but
if you are, God's God. And he told Adam, in the day
you eat thereof, you'll surely die. He didn't say if you eat,
he said in the day you do. It was all part of God's purpose
so the lamb could come and be slain and put away the sin and
glorify himself and glorify God. The death of Christ is the greatest
act of obedience ever known. God said, let Him nail you to
the cross. Yes, Father. It's the greatest
act of trust. Though He slay me, yet will I
trust Him. It's the greatest act of love
ever known. He loved His Father so much that
He was willing to go to the cross rather than let His Father's
law be dishonored. It's the greatest act of love
to men. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. The cross
of Christ is the glory of Jesus Christ. It's the glorification
of Christ. Christ was not a victim. Don't
feel sorry for him. He was in control of everything
that was taking place. While when they drove the nails
in his hands and feet, it's because he willed for it to happen. He
gave him the strength to do it. He could have prevented that
if he wanted to, but he didn't because it's God's eternal purpose. Do you know that Christ on the
cross is the manifestation of the character of God? There is
no knowing God apart from the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ manifests
every attribute of God. Now, according to the scriptures,
God is absolutely just. He must punish sin. Now, if there was a time when
he could have turned his head and not punished sin, you'd think
it would be when his son was on the cross, but it was the
justice and wrath of God that killed him because God must punish
sin. How we see the holiness of God. God's no respecter of persons.
We see that in the cross. Even when sin was on his son,
he killed him. But how we see the love of God,
that God would love sinners so much that he would give his sinners
to his son for him to die on the cross for them. You know,
the church is God's gift to His Son, it's His bride. And Christ
had to take full responsibility for their sin to save them. What
love, greater love, hath no man than this, that a man lay down
his life for his friends? The Lord said to His disciples,
as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. How this
demonstrates the wisdom of God, that He's made a way to make
every one of His people People who have never sinned. That's
what justification is. Not merely forgiven. This is
better than forgiveness. Oh, I love forgiveness. But he's
made it to where his people are justified, having never sinned. He made a way to be just and
justify the ungodly. What wisdom on God's part. What
power. that God has the power to make
my sin not to be through the cross of Christ. And He has a
way to make me exactly like His Son through the cross of Christ.
Every attribute of God is displayed in the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's the Son of Man being glorified. Now, He says the Holy Spirit
was not yet because the Son of Man had not yet been glorified. You see what the Holy Spirit
bears witness to when the gospel goes out to all nations, which
began on the day of Pentecost, is He bears witness to Christ. Hebrews 10, 14, and 15 says,
Wherefore, by one offering, He hath perfected forever them that
are sanctified. Do you hear that? By His death
on the cross, if He died for you, You are perfected forever
before God. And then the next verse says,
whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us. This is what the Holy Spirit
bears witness to. the perfect death of Christ on
the cross and what it accomplished, the full glory of God, the full
salvation of His people. Now, I hear preachers talk about
the Holy Spirit, and they don't even know who the Holy Spirit
is because they don't preach the gospel. The Holy Spirit testifies
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I'd like to close by reading
a passage of Scripture in John chapter 16 that I think gives
a very clear explanation of all this. In John 16, verse five,
this is his last discourse to his disciples. He said, but now
I go my way to him that sent me, and none of you ask me, whither
goest thou? Because I've said these things
unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell
you the truth, it's expedient for you that I go away. For if
I go not away, he's talking about dying on the cross and going
back to his father. If I go not away, the Comforter will not
come to you, But if I depart, I will send him unto you." Talking
about the Holy Spirit. Remember he said he was not yet
given? Here's when he's given. And when he has come, he will
reprove or convince the world, not just the Jews. This is a
message to the whole world. Jesus Christ is the savior of
the world. This is now the message. If you're
in the world and you're saved, this is the message you'll believe
and hear. And when he has come, he will reprove the world of
sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Now, this is what
you're convinced of if you have the Holy Spirit convicting you
of sin. He says, first of all, of sin,
because they believe not on me. Sin is a terrible thing. the
lives it ruins, the homes it wrecks, and sin can just bring
much sorrow into your life. But do you realize that you haven't
even been convicted of sin until you've been convicted of this
thing of unbelief, of sin because they believe not on me. Now,
here's what happens when you're truly convicted of sin. You find
out you can't believe. You don't even know what it is
to believe. You know you can't just decide to believe. You know
it's not an act of your will. You don't say, well, I think
I'm going to start believing today. I'm going to accept Jesus as my personal
Savior. You don't say stuff like that when you're convicted by
God the Holy Spirit. You say you can't believe. And
you know it's only when you say you can't believe that you believe. That's when God gives you faith.
When you can't believe, you say, Lord, give me faith. I don't
even know what it means. And you find yourself believing.
You find yourself looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
when you're convicted of sin. And the next thing he speaks
of, of righteousness because I go to my Father and you see
me no more." Now, when you're convicted by the Holy Spirit,
you're convicted that when Christ went back to the Father, He went
back with His righteousness, and that His righteousness is
the only righteousness you can be saved by. You're convicted
of that. You're convinced that His righteousness
is the only righteousness there is. That righteousness that He
brings back to His Father. You understand that your righteousness
is as filthy rags. And you believe His righteousness
is the only righteousness there is. Do you believe that? Do you
believe the only way you can be saved is by His righteousness?
Not a mixture of His and your own, but His righteousness only. Do you believe that? Well, that's
the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And then he says in verse 11
of judgment because of the prince of this world is judged. Now, when you're convicted by
the Holy Spirit, you understand that all judgment took place
on the cross. Satan was defeated on the cross.
You know, I enjoy thinking about this. When Christ was nailed
to the cross, Satan thought, I've defeated him. I've defeated
him. I've won. And he didn't realize
even at this time that his head was being crushed. All judgment
took place on the cross. Satan was defeated. My sins were
paid for and judged and condemned and put away. All judgment took
place on the cross. Now, the passing out of the sentences
is not going to come to the end of the world. I'm brought into
heaven. Others are brought into hell.
Satan is cast into the lake of fire. The passing out of the
sentences have not yet taken place, but judgment has. When
he said, it is finished, all judgment was done. Now, when
he has come and he's been this way ever since Pentecost, when
he's come, He will convince the world of sin because they believe
not, of righteousness because I go to my Father, and of judgment
because judgment has taken place. The prince of this world is judged. Now, we have this message on
DVD and CD. If you call the church or write,
we'll send you a copy, or you can look at our website and get
a copy from there. This is Todd Nyberg praying that
God will be pleased to make Himself known to you. That's our prayer.
To receive a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send your
request to todd.neiber at gmail.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.