Would you turn back to Luke 11,
verse 13? The Lord is speaking to his disciples. And he says, if you then being
evil. I don't flinch at that. When
I read that, I think if the shoe fits, wear it. That's what he
said to his disciples. If you then, being evil, if the
Lord said that to you, would you be offended? Would you think
he was taking it too far? If you then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
him. I've entitled this message, Ask
for the Holy Spirit. Ask for the Holy Spirit. We should be asking for the Holy
Spirit. Who is the Holy Spirit? Well, he is the third person
of the Trinity. the Father, the Son, and the
Spirit. We only know that because God
has revealed it. There's no way we would ever
know something like that intuitively. It's not something we can understand.
It's something we just believe. God is one God revealed in three
persons. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is a person. He's not a force. He's not an
influence. He's a person just like God the
Father, and just like God the Son, and all that we experience
of God is by Him. Now, if you're a believer, whether
you intellectually comprehend much about the Holy Spirit, it's
true that everything you experience of God is by the Holy Spirit. If we see the beauty of Christ,
if we see the power of His blood, if we see the sufficiency of
His righteousness, the Holy Spirit is why. He's called the Spirit
of God. He's called the Spirit of Truth.
He's called the Spirit of Christ. He's called the Comforter. He's
called the spirit of grace. And he's called the spirit of
glory. Now, what does he do? God, the
Holy Spirit. Well, what does God do? That's
what he does. Does God exercise absolute sovereignty
at all times, controlling everything? Well, you know he does. So, too,
does God the Holy Spirit. He was active in creation. In
the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and the
earth was without form and void, and the Spirit of God moved upon
the face of the deep. He wrote the Bible. Holy men
of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Look at his
work in the incarnation of Christ. I'm going to ask you to look
at several scriptures with me. Look at Luke chapter one. Verse 26. Luke chapter one, verse
26. And in the sixth month, the angel
Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee named Nazareth
to a virgin, one who had never known a man, espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph at the house of David, and the virgin's
name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her
and said, Hail, thou art highly favored. Thou art much graced. The Lord is with thee. Blessed
art thou among women. When she saw him, she was troubled,
it is said. And cast in her mind what manner of salutation this
should be, she was confused. And the angel said unto her,
Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall
be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall
be no end.' Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be,
seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said
unto her, The Holy Ghost The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee,
and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God. Behold, thy husband Elizabeth,
she also conceived the Son of her own age, and this is the
sixth month with her that was called barren. For with God nothing
shall be impossible." Look over in John chapter 3. Now this is
after our Lord had lived some 30 years,
and we read this regarding Him. Verse 34 of John chapter 3. For
he whom God has sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him. Now, I have a measure of
the Spirit. If you're a believer, you have
a measure of the Spirit. If you didn't have anything but
what our Lord had, you'd never see it. Everything you'd say
would be perfect. But our Lord was so filled with
the spirit. He didn't have a measure of the
spirit. Everything he said recommended itself as the very word of God. He didn't have the spirit by
measure. Now, his great work is to glorify
Christ. Turn to John 16. John, chapter 16. Verse seven. Nevertheless, I
tell you the truth, it's expedient for you that I go away, it's
necessary for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the comforter,
that's his name, the Holy Spirit, the comforter will not come unto
you. But if I depart, I'll send him unto you. And when he has
come, he will reprove, he will expose, he will convince the
world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin, because
they believe not on me. Of righteousness, because I go
to my Father and you see me no more. When He teaches you, you
know His righteousness is the only righteousness. Of judgment,
because the Prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things
to say unto you, but you can't 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.
Before I go on reading. The Holy Spirit doesn't speak
of himself. This entire charismatic movement. The emphasis on the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not in that. Because he doesn't speak of himself.
He speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. He testifies of Christ. That's
his purpose. He shall not speak of himself,
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will
show you things to come. You know, I know the future.
God, the Holy Spirit has taught me on judgment day. I know what's
going to happen. I'm going to be accepted for
Christ's sake. I know the future and I know that everything that
happens between now and then is going to be working together
for my good and his glory. He's shown me things to come. And if you're a believer, he's
shown you things to come. Look what he says in verse 14.
He shall glorify me. That's the office of God, the
Holy Spirit. He shall glorify me, for he shall
receive of mine and shall show it unto you. All things that
the Father hath are mine, therefore said I, that he shall take of
mine and shall show it unto you. Look in chapter 15, verse 26.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded from the
Father, he shall testify of me. And God, the Holy Spirit, is
the author, the cause of what is called the new birth. being
born again. If God has saved you, he's given
you a new nature. You've been born of the Spirit
of God, and God, the Holy Spirit, is the author of that. Look in
John chapter 3. Verse 1, there was a man of the Pharisees
named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus
by night. It was nighttime, and this man
was totally in the dark. And he said unto him, Rabbi,
we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can
do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except
a man be born again, born from above, he cannot see the kingdom
of God. He said, Nicodemus, you don't
know anything. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can man be born
when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's
womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter the kingdom of heaven. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. It can't rise above its source.
And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto you,
you must be born again. The wind blows where it wills.
You hear the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh
or whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. Now, being born of the Spirit,
Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1.4 that every believer is a partaker
of the divine nature. That's mysterious. It's something
we can believe. We can't really understand it, but we believe
it. If I'm born of the Spirit, I have a spiritual nature. partaker
of the divine nature, being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth
forever. This is an answer to the promise
of Ezekiel 36, 26 and 27. A new heart will I give you and
a new spirit will I put within you. I will put my spirit within
you and cause you to walk in my statutes. And this is why
every believer is the temple of God. You're looking at somebody
right now that God the Holy Spirit indwells. The infinite, eternal,
Holy Spirit of God indwells every single believer. He gave me the
new birth and the Spirit of Christ is in me. Here is what He does in dwelling
in us. First, He teaches us. He teaches us. Look in John chapter
14, verse 26. But the comforter. I love the way the Lord calls
Him the comforter. You know, I need comfort. I need the comfort
of the gospel. I need the comfort of His grace.
And God the Holy Spirit, this glorious third person of the
Trinity, is called the Comforter. He comforts me in my sorrows. He causes me to look to Christ. Now, but the Comforter, which
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall
teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance
whatsoever I have said unto you. And this is that unction that
John speaks of in 1 John 2 when he says you have an unction,
an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things. Now, have you been taught that
you are a sinner? That's a very simple question.
Have you been taught that in your flesh dwells no good thing,
and there's not one thing you could do to recommend yourself
to God? Have you been taught that to where you really believe
it? You really believe that that
describes you? When the Lord said, if you then being evil
know how to give good gifts, you think, yep, that's me. Have
you been taught that? Who taught you that? There was
a time when you didn't know that. You do now. Who taught you? God, the Holy Spirit. Have you been taught that the
righteousness, the perfect obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ is the
only righteousness there is? And do you trust His righteousness
as your righteousness before God? And you're afraid to look
anywhere else. You've been taught That His righteousness
really is the only righteousness there is. Who taught you that? God the Holy Spirit. Have you
been taught that salvation is of the Lord? That salvation is
all of His grace? And that you're complete in Him?
Have you been taught that? Well, who taught you that? No
man, no mere man taught you that if you've really been taught.
You've been taught by the Spirit of God. Have you been taught
that Christ is all? And you really believe that?
You believe He's all of God? You believe He's all in this
book? And you really believe He's all in your salvation? He's
all? You believe that? You've been
taught that? Who taught you? God, the Holy Spirit. In John chapter 16, verse 13,
it says, He will guide you into all truth. He will guide you. How does He go about doing that?
How does He guide us in all truth? What's going on? Well, I think
of the Holy Spirit sending Philip to that eunuch in the desert
of Gaza. And that eunuch's coming back.
He's been reading Isaiah. He'd gone to Jerusalem to worship.
And he's leaving, and he's as empty as he was when he got there.
He knew the living God was in the book, but he didn't understand
it. And he was sitting there reading the prophet Isaiah. And
the angel of the Lord told Philip, go join yourself to that chariot.
And Philip went up and he said, do you understand what you're
reading? And he said, how can I? Except some man should guide
me. Now, that was the Holy Spirit
working through that man. Yes, I'm guided by a man. I hear the gospel through a man,
but it's God, the Holy Spirit working. And he brought him into
Isaiah chapter 53. And I love that passage of scripture.
The first thing he brought out is he was led before a lamb before
shears is done. So opened he not his mouth. Why
didn't the Lord open his mouth? If I'm not guilty of something,
And I'm accused of it. I'm going to open my mouth. I'm
going to defend myself right to the bitter end. If I didn't
do it, I'm not going to say I did. I'm not going to keep my mouth
closed. Why did the Lord not defend himself? Why didn't he
open his mouth? Only one reason. He was guilty. That's why. He was guilty. And then he spoke of the humiliation
he experienced. When my sin became his sin, he
became guilty of it. Well, that's the Holy Spirit
guiding somebody into all truth. He said, of whom saith the prophet
these things? Of himself or some other man?
And the scripture says, Philip opened his mouth, and at that
same scriptures he preached unto him, Jesus. Wouldn't you have
loved to have heard that message? But that is the Holy Spirit guiding
somebody into all truth. We read of walking after the
Spirit and not after the flesh in Romans 8, 1. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law
of sin and death, for what the law could not do. in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness
of sinful flesh and forcing condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh, but after the spirit. All that means is believe the
gospel. If you believe the gospel, that's walking after the spirit.
That's the work of God, the Holy Spirit in you. He causes the
fruit of the spirit. I love to think of Galatians
5.22, the fruit of the spirit. is love. Love to God. Love to His people. Love to men. A real love. Joy. The joy of knowing the Lord.
Peace. The peace that comes from believing
that Christ is my righteousness before God. Long-suffering. God's on the throne. I'm patient.
Gentleness. Graciousness. Kindness. Faith. Meekness. Temperance, I love
the way it says, against such there is no law. That's the fruit
of God, the Holy Spirit. And notice, it's the fruit of
the Spirit. If I'm a believer, I possess the fruit of the Spirit.
He leads us. Galatians 5, 18 says, as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Turn
over to Galatians chapter 5 for a moment. There's a lot regarding
the work of the Holy Spirit in this chapter. Let me ask you this. Do you have a battle going on
on the inside? Conflict. Conflict. There's so many things about
yourself that you find so contradictory. Conflict. You hate yourself. There's a battle going on. You want to be holy. You know, I've heard people say,
regarding the gospel of God's grace, they say, well, if I believed
that way, I'd live like I want to. I'd live any way I want to.
Well, you know what way I want to live? I want to be without
sin. I want to be perfectly obedient.
That is my want to. I want to be perfectly obedient
to never sin. That's what I want. You don't
want to sin. And I realize that in my flesh
there are desires and cravings that I'm so ashamed of, and I
would fulfill those things, but I can't. Why? The flesh, Galatians 5, 17, lusts
against the spirit. The spirit lusts against the
flesh. These two are contrary one to the other, so that you
can't do the things that you would, but If you be led of the
Spirit, I love the way he says this right after that, if you
be led of the Spirit, you're not under law. You see, God, the Holy Spirit,
bears witness to us. There's something called the
witness of the Spirit. You can read about it in Romans
chapter eight, where he bears witness to us that we're children
of God. He bears witness to my spirit
that I'm one of his. He bears witness to the gospel.
Hebrews 10, 15 says, Whereof the Holy Ghost beareth witness
to us. What does he bear witness of?
Well, the previous verse is by one offering. He hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost beareth
witness to us. He beareth witness to us that our perfection is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Galatians chapter 5, verse
6, it says, We through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness. by faith. I'm doing that right
now. I'm waiting for the hope of righteousness
by faith. How is it that I do that? Through
God, the Holy Spirit. Romans 8.13 says, if you live
after the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the spirit
do mortify. Our brothers just prayed about,
enable us to mortify the flesh. If you through the spirit do
mortify, put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live.
For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. Now, I've got flesh every single day. That's the sinful
nature. What do you do? You have to stab
it. You stab it. You crucify it. It's fighting.
You stab it again. You wake up the next day and
it's just as strong again the next day. You stab it again the
next day. That's the crucifixion, the mortification of the flesh.
You've got a sinful nature that will overtake you and overcome
you, and you're called upon to stab it and to crucify it. That
is the work of God, the Holy Spirit, in you. He's called the
Spirit of adoption. And that's what makes us cry,
Abba, Father, the spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit
that we're the children of God. And I love this. Turn to Romans
eight. Look at this with me. Romans, chapter eight, verse
twenty six. Likewise, the spirit also helpeth
our infirmities, our weaknesses, our powerlessness, to where we
can't even pray and we don't even know what to pray for. Likewise,
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought. Isn't that frustrating? You don't
even know what you ought to pray for. You really don't. You're
so ignorant. You're so weak. You're so helpless.
But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession
for the saints according to the will of God." How many times
have you been completely unable to pray? And you know that your
prayers don't seem to get past your, the ceiling. You're just,
you're feeling dark. You know, God, the Holy Spirit,
takes that prayer. And He, with groanings that can't
even be uttered, and He presents them through the Lord Jesus Christ
to the Father. We're called upon, go back to
Galatians 5. I told you to go there a minute ago. We're called
upon to walk in the Spirit. Verse 16. of Galatians, chapter five. This, I say, then walk in the
spirit. And you shall not fulfill the
lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the
spirit and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary,
the one to the other, so that you can't do the things that
you would. But if you be led of the spirit, if he's the one
leading you, you're not under the law. Thank God for that.
You're not sin shall not have dominion over you. And it is
a promise because you're not under law, but under grace. Thank
God for that promise. Verse 19, now the works of the
flesh are manifest, which are these adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, jealousy, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
endings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, partying, and such
like, of which I told you before, as I told you in times past,
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God,
but the fruit of the Spirit Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts. Now, if we live in the Spirit,
if we live by the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. Well,
what does that mean? Is that some kind of ethereal
up? Well, look what he says. When I walk in the Spirit, let
us not be desirous of vain glory. That's walking in the Spirit.
not being desirous of vain glory, provoking one another and envying
one another. It's the opposite of love, isn't
it? We're called upon to be filled with the Spirit. Turn to Ephesians
chapter 5. Verse 18, And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess,
proplicacy. That's so unbecoming. Be not
drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be, literally, be being filled. Be continually being filled with
the Spirit. Well, what happens when you're
filled with the Spirit? Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord. That's what happens when somebody's
filled with the Spirit. There's this joy going on in
their heart, giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father. There's a thankfulness for everything.
And you do so in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. You wouldn't
dare even let your Thanksgiving come up before God without the
name of Christ. You really believe the name of
Christ is your only way of acceptance before the Father. You're just
aware of that. Submitting yourselves, verse
21, one to another. There's a submission of yourself
to each other in the fear of God. That's what happens when
people are filled with God, the Holy Spirit. Look back in Ephesians
chapter 4. Verse 1, I therefore with the
prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith you are called with all humility. A just estimate of yourself.
I am what I am by the grace of God. and meekness with long suffering
for bearing one another, putting up with one another in love,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of
peace. Now, when that is done, this
is seen clearly. There's one body. The church, the body of the Lord
Jesus Christ, there's one spirit. God, the Holy Spirit, even if
you're called in one hope of your calling, there's only one
hope. And that hope is the death of
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only hope there is.
Any other hope is a wrong hope. There's one Lord, one faith,
the faith of God's elect, one baptism. One God, Father of all,
who is above all, and through all, and in you all. That's the
unity of God the Holy Spirit. You see the oneness of these
things. Turn over to 1 John chapter 4,
where God the Holy Spirit is, there's a confession. 1 John chapter 4. Believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits, whether they're of God, because many false prophets
are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God. Now, do you want to know whether
I'm preaching from the Spirit of God? Do you want to know if
God is inspiring what I'm saying and that I'm actually sent of
God? Here's a test you can test me by. Listen up. Every spirit
that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God. Now, I'm confessing right now,
Jesus Christ, He was before He came. He came in the flesh. He became a man. And He did what
He came to do. He completely saved everybody
He died for. Now, that's the test. That's
the test. Somebody doesn't preach this.
He was before he came. He's the eternal God. He came
in the flesh. He became man. And he did what
he came to do in the flesh. He completely saved all of his
people from their sins. He put away their sins. When
he said it is finished, the salvation of all of God's elect was accomplished. Now, everybody that confesses
that, you confess it. You don't say it in private,
but you don't preach it publicly. No, you confess it. Every spirit
that confesses that, that's from the Spirit of God. And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is not of God, and this is that spirit of Antichrist. Somebody doesn't preach what
I just said. That is the spirit of Antichrist,
where if you've heard that it should come, and even now already,
it's in the world. Look over in Chapter 5, verse
7, for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost. These three are one. And there
are three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, God, the
Holy Spirit, and the water and the blood. These three agree
in one. Now, what he's referring to is
when the Lord was pierced, what came out of His side? Blood and
water. Justification and sanctification. All of salvation is accomplished
by what our Lord did on the cross. And that's what God, the Holy
Spirit, bears witness to. Now, is there any wonder why
we're exhorted to pray for the Holy Spirit? The Lord said, how
much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to
them that ask you? I want the Holy Spirit, don't
you? I want the Holy Spirit to enable me to look to Christ.
To lean on Christ? To preach Christ? I want to be
enabled to walk in the Spirit, to endeavor to keep the unity
of the Spirit? Oh, I want the Holy Spirit. The third person
of the blessed Trinity. Lord, give me your Spirit. He's
promised. If we ask, He gives. And there's one last scripture
I want to look at. Look at Revelation 22. Here's
the message of God the Holy Spirit. Now this is his message. Somebody
says, I don't even know if I have the Holy Spirit. You may not.
You may not. If you're a believer, you do.
But if you're not a believer, no, you're a stranger to the
Holy Spirit. But listen to what God the Holy Spirit has to say.
This is what he has to say to everybody in this room. Verse 17. And the Spirit God, the Holy
Spirit. And the bride, this is what me
and you are saying to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, this
is our message. Come. Come and welcome to the Lord
Jesus Christ, you come right now. Don't wait to get better. Don't wait till you know more.
Don't wait till you understand more. Don't wait till you get
your life straightened out. The message to you is come right
now. Come and welcome to the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's the message of God, the
Holy Spirit. Not go and do. That's the message of the law.
Go and do. Make yourself better. Do something.
Make yourself worthy. No, that's not the message at
all. The message is come right now,
just as you are to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what God, the
Holy Spirit has to say. The spirit and the bride say,
come and let him in here and say, come and let him that's
a thirst. Are you thirsty? Come and whosoever
will. I love that statement. Someone
says, well, that proves free will. No, it doesn't. Doesn't
have anything to do with free will. But it does say this, whosoever
will. Are you willing to be saved by
Christ? Are you willing to be saved by His grace? Are you willing
for him to have all the glory and salvation and you to have
none? Are you willing? Whosoever will. Let him take
the water of life. Freely. Without a cause. With no cost. Now that's got
the Holy Spirit's message to me and to you. Come to Christ
right now. Whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely. Well, let's in united hearts
ask for God, the Holy Spirit, because the Lord made this promise.
I thank God for this promise. And before this point, he said,
whoever asks, receives. He that seeks, finds. He that
knocks, it shall be opened. If you then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, I know how to give
good gifts to my children. I love to give to my child. That's giving to me. I mean,
you all know what that means. If you all know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father,
I love the way he calls him, your Heavenly Father. The Lord
says that to these evil people. I mean, He calls them evil, but
He says, How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? Let's pray.