The Holy Spirit and the Believer

Q: What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit's role in salvation?

The Holy Spirit is essential for salvation, as He regenerates and gives life to believers. The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the salvation of sinners, as highlighted in Titus 3:5, where we read that God saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. He is the divine agent through which we receive spiritual life, and His work is crucial for understanding and accepting the gospel. Without the Holy Spirit, the election by the Father and the redemption by the Son are rendered ineffective in an individual’s life. Therefore, His involvement in the salvation process is particularly significant because He empowers the believer to comprehend and accept God's grace.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is true?

The truth of the Holy Spirit's role is confirmed in Scripture and is vital for the believer's experience. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit's role in the life of the believer is grounded in Scripture and is reflected in our personal experience of faith. In John 16:13, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth. This guidance is not merely abstract but is experienced personally by each believer as they grow in understanding and faith. Furthermore, 1 Thessalonians 1:4 describes the transformative power of God’s gospel, which is made effective by the Holy Spirit. Thus, the corroboration of past apostolic teaching along with individual believer experiences solidifies confidence in the truth of this doctrine.

Q: Why is following the Holy Spirit important for Christians?

Following the Holy Spirit is essential for living a life that aligns with God's will. Following the leading of the Holy Spirit is vital for Christians because He serves as our guide in every aspect of our lives. According to Romans 8:14, those who are led by the Spirit of God are called the sons of God. This relationship signifies active reliance on the Holy Spirit to navigate the complexities of life. Moreover, the Holy Spirit empowers believers to recognize and respond to God's truths, guiding them in their journey of faith. Without His leadership, believers may stray from their intended path and miss the fullness of life in Christ.

Q: What does it mean that the Holy Spirit is a gift?

The Holy Spirit is given by God to believers as a source of spiritual life and assurance. The Holy Spirit being a gift means that He is graciously bestowed upon believers as part of God’s covenant mercy. Acts 2:38 describes the Holy Spirit as a gift, promising that all who believe and are baptized will receive Him. This gift is not only about the Spirit's presence but also about His active role in giving life, comfort, and assurance of salvation. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit assures believers of their standing before God, enabling them to live out their faith according to His Word. Essentially, the Spirit is both a promise of inheritance and a divine helper in the believer's life.

Q: How does the Holy Spirit speak to believers?

The Holy Spirit speaks to believers through Scripture and personal revelation. The communication of God to believers is primarily through the Holy Spirit, who interprets and applies the Word of God to their hearts. As illustrated in Psalm 99:7, where God spoke through the cloud, similarly, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truth through scripture.1 Corinthians 2:12-13 emphasizes that believers receive not the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God so they may know the things freely given by God. This means the Holy Spirit enables believers to understand and receive divine truths, guiding them into deeper revelations about God's character and will.

Under his wings I am safely abiding
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild Still I can
trust Him, I know He will keep me. He has redeemed me and I
am His child. Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever Under His wings my soul shall
abide Safely abide forever Under his wings would a refuge in sorrow
Now the heart yearningly turns to his rest Often when earth
has no bone for my healing, there I find comfort, and there I am
blessed. Under His wings, Under His wings,
who from His love can sever? Under His wings, My soul shall
abide, safely abide forever. Under His wings, oh, what precious
enjoyment! There will I hide till life's
trials are over. Sheltered, protected, no evil
can harm me. Resting in Jesus, I'm safe evermore. Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever? Under His wings my soul shall
abide, Safely abide forever. would you turn with me to Exodus
chapter 13, verse 20. And they took their journey from
Sukkot and encamped in Etham in the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them
by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way, and by
night in a pillar of fire to give them light. to go by day
and night. He took not away the pillar of
the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before
the people." I've entitled this message, The
Holy Spirit and the Believer. The Holy Spirit and the believer. Now, we're introduced to the
pillar of cloud and fire that led the children of Israel throughout
their journey in the wilderness. Now, you've probably heard of
their wanderings in the wilderness. They did not wander at all. They
followed this cloud all the time. When it would get up and move,
they would follow it. When it would rest, they would
rest. They followed this pillar of
cloud and this pillar of fire at all times. Would you turn
to Exodus chapter 40, beginning in verse 34. Then a cloud covered the tent
of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the
tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter
into the tent of the congregation because the cloud abode thereon. The same cloud we just read of.
And the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the
cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children
of Israel went onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud
were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that
it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was
upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night in the
sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. Now, the pillar of cloud and
fire represent the Spirit of God who leads us. and who guides us. I think this
will become apparent by the end of this message. Scripture says,
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. And only those who are led by
the Spirit of God. We read in John chapter 16, He
shall guide you. He shall guide you into all truth. As a matter of fact, if you're
a believer, your experience Your experience is, your experience
is the Holy Spirit. Every view you have of the Lord
Jesus Christ comes through the Holy Spirit. Every word that
God speaks to you, it is through His Spirit. Now, God is one God. Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy
God is one God. He's not three gods. He's one
God revealed in three distinct persons. God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now, in the book of Exodus, God
reveals himself as the Father, the covenant God, when he, in
his mercy, brought the children of Israel out of the land of
Egypt in answer to the covenant that he made with Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob. He promised them land. He's going
to be good to his word. He's going to be good to his
covenant. And he makes himself known as the father, the covenant
God, in delivering Israel for his covenant sake. Now, he makes
himself known as God the son in the paschal lamb. God said, when I see the blood,
I will pass over you. Isn't that a precious verse of
scripture? I hold on to that. He passes me by in mercy because
he sees the blood. That's all he has to see. And
God the Spirit was made known as the pillar of cloud by day
and fire by night to lead them and guide them. Now, let me talk
for a few moments regarding this. It's a mystery that cannot possibly
be understood, only believed. God is one God. revealed in three
distinct persons, father, son and Holy Spirit, and his salvation
is one salvation. This is very important. His salvation
is one salvation. It's not divided into different
parts. It's one salvation. It's the
work of the father, the work of the son, and the work of the
Holy Spirit. They each have, if you will,
their role in salvation, if that's the right word. I don't even
know if that's the right word to use. They each have their aspect in
salvation. God the Father elects. He's the
covenant God. God the Son redeems. He's the Redeemer. And God the
Holy Spirit regenerates. He gives life. And this is all
a part of what the Bible calls salvation. And all three of these
aspects of salvation, the aspect of the Father and election, the
aspect of the Son and redemption, and the aspect of God the Holy
Spirit and regeneration are equally essential for the salvation of
the sinner. There is no salvation. without
any of these aspects of God's work and salvation. Now, just
as Christ is said to be the gift of God, the Holy Spirit is the
gift of God. We read in Acts chapter 2, verse
38, and in Acts chapter 10, verse 48, of the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is God's gift, the author
of spiritual life, and there is no saving grace without Him. And let me show you that in scripture.
Hold your finger there in Exodus. And would you turn with me to
the book of Titus? Titus. Chapter three. Beginning in verse three. For
we ourselves also were sometime or a fortime foolish. Disobedient,
deceived, serving, slaves of diverse lusts and pleasures,
living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after
that, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy. He saved us by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. He comes to
us for Christ's sake, that being justified by his grace, we should
be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Now, here's
here's one thing I want to point out to you about that passage
of scripture. He's talking about being saved by the grace of God,
not by works which we have done, but according to his mercy, he
saved us. But notice he says, by the washing of regeneration. And the renewal of the Holy Ghost. Now, when he mentions this in
this passage of scripture, he doesn't mention election. He
doesn't mention redemption. Neither of those are even mentioned.
Now, does that mean that somehow this is more important than election?
Absolutely not. Does this mean this is more important
than redemption? Absolutely not. He's just mentioning
this aspect right now, but the point I want to make is the aspects
are all equally important. There's no salvation without
the election of the Father. There's no salvation without
the redemption of the sun, and there's no salvation without
the regeneration, the work of God, the Holy Spirit in a man. This is all a part of what we
call God's salvation. Now, regarding this pillar. We read of many occasions where
the Lord spake through the cloudy pillar, we read in Psalm ninety
nine, verse seven, he spake unto them. in the cloudy pillar, and
that happens over and over again throughout the Scriptures. The
voice of God would come through this cloudy pillar. Let me show
you a couple of times. Look in Exodus chapter thirty-three. Verse seven, eight. And it came to pass, when Moses
went out into the tabernacle, that all the people rose up and
stood every man at his tent door and looked after Moses until
he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses
entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and
stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy
pillar stand at the tabernacle, and all the people rose up and
worshiped. every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses
face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. He spoke through the cloudy pillar. And everything that you hear
of God, when God speaks to you, is through the cloudy pillar. It's through the Spirit of God.
Look at Exodus chapter 34, verse 5. And the Lord descended in the
cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the
Lord. He proclaimed His name through
the cloudy pillar. If you're a believer, God speaks
to you by His Spirit through His Word. And when you hear from
God and God speaks to you, He's speaking to you by His Spirit
as far as your experience goes. What you experience is by the
Spirit of the living God, the Holy Spirit. God, the Holy Spirit. Let me show you this in the New
Testament. Turn to 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 1. 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 1. Verse 4, Paul says to the Thessalonians,
knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. Well, how do
you know, Paul? For our gospel came not to you
in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in
much assurance. That's how our gospel came to
you. In power, you heard it as the word of God, not just the
word of man. If you just hear the preacher speaking, God didn't
speak to you. But if you see this is the word
of God and it came to you in power, it's because of the Holy
Spirit. All the communication God has
to you is through the Holy Spirit, for Christ's sake, through the
Holy Spirit. The cloud was always directly
over the tabernacle and most especially over the mercy seat.
the lid of propitiation. As a matter of fact, we read
in Leviticus chapter 16, verse 2, I will appear in the cloud
upon the mercy seat. Now, this represents the person
and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You can't separate God, the Holy
Spirit and Jesus Christ. He is essentially the spirit
of Jesus Christ. And this cloudy pillar, whether
it was the cloud or the fire, it was always directly over the
tabernacle. And the tabernacle would move
in answer to the Holy Spirit moving. It would move and it
would stop right in its place. And it always represents the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he said essentially that
the Holy Spirit, this cloud, this this tabernacle was over
the lid of propitiation. And that's talking about the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember the mercy seat, the
blood of Christ. The broken law was placed within
that. Arc of the covenant. Blood was
placed on it. The mercy seat over the broken
law in there and the Holy Spirit was always identified with the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And every apprehension I have of the power
of the blood of Jesus Christ, every drop of comfort I give
knowing that God is appeased because of the blood of Christ.
He's satisfied with me. He doesn't have a reason to be
angry with me. I'm accepted for Christ's sake. The Holy Spirit
is always associated with that, and every drop of faith I have
is what He gives me. It's His gift. It's what He does
for me. So this cloud, this pillar, it
was always directly over the tabernacle, most especially over
the mercy seat. Now, notice this in our text.
Turn back to Exodus chapter 13. Exodus chapter 13. Verse 21,
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to
lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them
light to go by day and night. God the Holy Spirit is our light. Now, isn't Christ the light of
the world? Absolutely. Who shows you that? Who gives
you the grace to see it? Who gives you the grace to believe
it? There was a time when you didn't see that. It didn't mean
anything to you. You thought light was something like that. It didn't
mean much to you. But now you see Christ as the
light of who God is. You see who you are through the
light of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see your own sinfulness,
but you also see His all-sufficiency. How is that? That's God the Holy
Spirit giving you that light. He is the light that shows us
the light. Now, yes, the Holy Spirit shows
you that. Light is what we see by, and
this book, you listen to this, this book we're studying right
now, the Bible, is a closed book without the light of the Holy
Spirit. It's impossible for you to understand
it. It's impossible for me to understand
it. You can have the IQ of Einstein.
You can have a perfect knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. You can
have the entire Bible memorized from cover to cover, page to
page. You can know everything in it. And you can give the definitions
of all the words. And you know how much like that
is spiritually? Zero. That's no true understanding. The only way you and I can understand
this message, this book, the gospel, is through the light
of God, the Holy Spirit. And understanding the gospel
doesn't come by education, my dear friends. It comes by revelation. Now, let me show you this in
First Corinthians, Chapter two. First Corinthians, Chapter two,
this is such a powerful passage of scripture regarding this issue.
Verse. Let's begin verse seven, but
we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. Even the hidden wisdom
which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none
of the princes of this world knew, for had they known it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it's
written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered
into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him. Now, most folks stop there and
say, let's talk about heaven. Nobody knows what heaven's going
to be like. Well, I don't suppose we do, but that's not what he's
talking about here. He's not talking about heaven. He's talking
about the things God has prepared on the cross of Christ for them
to love Him. Remember, our Lord said, I go
and prepare a place for you. Now, listen, but now, no, I have
seen these things, but God has revealed them unto us by His
Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even
so, the things of God knows no man but the Spirit of God. Now,
how can you know what's going on in my mind? You can't. The
only one who knows what's going on in my mind is me. I know what's
going on there. You can't know what's going on
in God's mind. God, the Holy Spirit, does, because He's God.
He knows what's going on in God's mind, and He's the one who makes
it known. Let's go on reading. He says in verse 12, Now we've
received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is
of God, that we might know the things that are freely given
to us of God. Which things also we speak, we
talk about this, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but
which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. But he that is spiritual. Now
that word there is not the way people use it. Well, I'm a spiritual
person. No, you're not. You wouldn't even say that if
you were. This is somebody who has the Holy Spirit. All God's
people are spiritual people. But he that is spiritual discerns,
judges, has an understanding of all things. Yet he himself
is judged of no man. The natural man can't understand
him. For who has known the mind of
the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of
Christ. Now, back to our text, while
he was a light to his people, look what he was to those who
did not believe. Exodus 14, verse 19. And the angel of God, which went
before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and the
pillar of cloud went from before their face and stood behind them,
and it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp
of Israel. And it was a cloud and darkness to them. Same cloud, but it was darkness
to them. They couldn't see. They could
see no light. But what was it to Israel? It gave light by night to thee,
so that the one came not near the other all the night. Now,
if you have some understanding, it's because he gave you that
light. And if you don't see, that's what he is to an unbeliever.
He's darkness to an unbeliever. It doesn't even make any sense.
Now, in our text, this cloudy pillar was a guide to lead them. When he moved, they moved. And
when he stopped, they stopped. They would follow this pillar
when it moved. That is the walk of faith. And
they would rest when it rested. That is the rest of faith. As
many as are led by the Spirit of God. They are the sons of
God. And look back in there in Exodus
14. Let's read these verses again, verses 19 and 20. And the angel of God, which went
before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and the
pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood between
them. And it came between the camp
of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and it was a cloud
and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to them,
so that the one came not near the other all that night. He
was the difference. He was the difference between
the Egyptians and Israel. Now, I want you to think about
this. It may be, I don't know, it may be that person beside
you doesn't know the Lord, and you do. It may be you have a sibling
who was raised up in the same home, had the same raising, had
the same set of values brought on him. You believe the gospel
and they don't. What's the difference? It's God
the Holy Spirit. He gave you life. He gave you
a heart to believe. He gave you eyes to see. He birthed
you into the kingdom. You're a partaker of the divine
nature. As many as are led by the Spirit
of God, everyone that's born of the Spirit. You think that
being born of the Spirit of God, this is a supernatural thing.
This is an almighty thing. And He Himself is the difference.
The reason you believe and that other fellow doesn't is not because
you're smarter than him. It's not because you're more
intelligent. It's not because you're more spiritual. It's because
God, the Holy Spirit, gave you life. He didn't give that other
one life. He is the difference. You see, Christ is altogether
lovely, and that other person doesn't. Why is that? The difference
is God, the Holy Spirit. Remember that passage of Scripture.
Look in Exodus chapter 11. Verse 7, But against any of the
children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against
man or beast, that you may know how that the Lord doth put a
difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And certainly a part
of that difference is the work of God, the Holy Spirit. I have
the Spirit of God. What's that scripture? No man,
it's in 1 Corinthians 12, no man speaks No man says that Jesus
is accursed, speaks by the Spirit of God, but everybody who says
that Jesus is Lord, he says so by the Holy Spirit. That's just
not talking about audibly saying it. That means in your heart
you believe it. If you believe that Jesus Christ
is Lord, if you really believe that, and you're happy it's that
way, that's because of the Spirit of God. He Himself is the difference. As many as were led by the Spirit
of God, as many as are led by the Spirit, not everybody is
led by the Spirit of God, but as many as are, they are the
sons of God. Now, notice something else in
Exodus chapter 14, verse 19. I like thinking about this in
relation to the Holy Spirit. And the angel of God which went
before the camp of Israel, he was right out in front of them,
he removed and went behind them. And the pillar of cloud went
from before their face and stood behind them. If all I have, Him,
as is a guide to lead me, I'm in trouble. If that's all He
is, as a guide to lead me, I'm in trouble. You see, I need Him
behind me. I need Him behind me to protect
me from behind the things I don't see. But not only do I need Him
behind me, I need Him behind me to push me to follow His lead.
I won't even follow His lead unless I have Him behind me pushing
me in that direction and causing me to do that. Aren't you thankful
for God's watchdogs? Surely goodness and mercy shall
what? Follow me. Follow me. Isn't that wonderful? You can't
even see when you're being followed. You might be aware of it sometimes,
sometimes you're not. But you know, He's always following the believer. And He's always pushing us in
the right direction. I'm so thankful for the Holy
Spirit in that sense. I'm thankful for His lead, no doubt. And I
want to keep my eyes on Him and never look anywhere else. But
thank God He's behind me, protecting me. I can't see the wolves coming
in that direction, but He's there protecting me. He's not only
before us, He's behind us, He's around about us. He's completely
covering us. Thank God for God, the Holy Spirit. You know, the Holy Spirit is
called several times in the New Testament, a seal. A seal. We're sealed until the day of
redemption. Now, what's a seal? Well, if
you've ever canned, what happens when you can? You know, when
that sealing noise, whatever it is, some of you know more
about canning than I do. I don't know anything about canning. I've watched my grandma
do it, but I don't know anything. But I know it pops when it's sealed.
It pops, and you know what that means? What's in that can is
now preserved. It's preserved. God the Holy
Spirit is my preservative. The reason I'm preserved, the
reason I continue all the way to the end is because of His
Spirit within me, His nature in me. God the Holy Spirit is
the preservative. He's the earnest. He's called
the earnest of our inheritance. What's an earnest? An earnest
is a down payment. I've already got the down payment.
I've got God, the Holy Spirit in me, and that's why I'm going
to be brought into glory. The down payment's already been
given. I'm secure in God, the Holy Spirit. I'm secure in the
Lord Jesus Christ. God, the Holy Spirit gives me grace to see
that. He's the one who preserves me and keeps me looking to Christ.
Look over in Exodus chapter 14, verse 24. I love this. Verse
23, Exodus 14, verse 23. And the Egyptians pursued and
went in after them in the midst of the sea, even all of Pharaoh's
horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass
that in the morning watch, the Lord looked unto the host of
the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud. Notice God looks through this
pillar. And he troubled the host of the
Egyptians, and he took off their chariot wheels. He knocked the
wheels off their chariots while they're down pursuing. And all
of a sudden, the wheels come off their chariots. You reckon
they were scared to death? Who did this? It was the Lord
who did it. He looked at them through this cloud. It was the
Lord who defeated their enemies. Now, before we go on reading,
look up in verse 13. of Exodus chapter 14. And Moses said unto
the people, fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of
the Lord, which he will show you today for the Egyptians whom
you see today, you shall see them again no more. The Lord
shall fight for you. And you'll hold your peace. And
that's exactly what took place. The Lord was fighting their battles
at this time, wasn't He? He knocked the wheels off those
chariots. They couldn't get out, and He brought the water back
down on them. It was the Lord who fought their battles for
them. Now, God the Father fights my battles in His covenant of
grace. Everything's already been decreed. My salvation was decreed
by God the Father. God the Son fought my battle
for me on Calvary's tree. He put away my sin. accomplish
my salvation. And God the Holy Spirit fights
my battles for me right now. He empowers me and enables me
to believe on Christ. He defeats my enemies for me.
He is God the Holy Spirit. He's just as much God as God
the Father and God the Son. Now He's got a different He's
subordinate to God the Father and God the Son. He's equal to
God the Father and God the Son, but he is subordinate in his
office. He's the Spirit of Christ. The
Son is subordinate to the Father. The Spirit is subordinate to
the Father and the Son, but equally God and just as much a part of
salvation as the other persons of the Godhead. Now, according
to Psalm 105, verse 39, he was a covering to the children of
Israel. Now, evidently, Cloud. It came up like a like a mushroom,
you know, like those explosions and atomic explosion where mushrooms
out, this cloud came up as a mushroom. And here those people were out
in the wilderness, out in the desert with the hot sun. But,
you know, that sun didn't beat on them. They were protected
by this cloud. They were comforted by this cloud. Now, what is the name that the
Lord Jesus Christ gives to the Holy Spirit? The comforter. The comforter. I can't express how much it comforts me to know
that all my sin is put away by the blood of Christ. I've got
no sin. You know who gives me that comfort?
God, the Holy Spirit. It's not me figuring this out.
It's God, the Holy Spirit. I can't express the comfort it
gives me that I have the very righteousness of Jesus Christ.
That comforts me so much. I can come into God's presence
with boldness. I can come into God's presence with confidence,
not afraid, knowing that I'm accepted for Christ's sake. I
know that God hears my prayer. You know, that comforts me. I've
got the very ear of God. God hears what I've got to say.
Was that because you're the preacher? It has nothing to do with it.
He hears my prayer for Christ's sake. And it's God the Holy Spirit
who teaches me that. He comforts me. Oh, the comfort
of the gospel. He is the divine comforter. He shielded the children of Israel
from all the discomfort they would have had from those hot
rays. And He would never leave them. Turn with me to the book
of Nehemiah. Nehemiah. Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah chapter
9. Verse 16. But they and our fathers, Nehemiah
chapter 9, verse 16. But they and our fathers dealt
proudly and hardened their necks. and hearkened not to thy commandments, and refused to obey, neither
were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them, but hardened
their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return
to their bondage. But thou art to God ready to
pardon. and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Yea, when they had
made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought
thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations, yet
thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud departed
not." from them by day to lead them in the way, neither the
pillar of fire by night to show them light, and the way wherein
they should go. In spite of all that they were, He was not taken away." Have
you ever worried about grieving the Holy Spirit to the point
that He would leave you? For whatever reason, I have feared
that. I can remember times where I
thought he was gone for good. I can remember the horrible, empty feeling of
that. Feeling that I'd send away the
day of grace. I'd grieve the Holy Spirit and
there was no hope for me. He'd never come back. I can remember. You know what? Even when I felt
that, he was still there. He has promised to never leave. And the reason you continue to
believe the gospel is because the cloudy pillar will not leave
you. You see, God is a gracious God,
slow to anger, pitiful of great kindness. And that's the reason
you persevere in the faith. It's not because of any strength
of your part. You know that. It's because of God, the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the believer.
He's a gift. Aren't you thankful for him as
the gift of God? He is the one by whom God speaks
to you. He's spoken to them in the cloudy
pillar. Psalm 99, 7. He's the one who
rests over the mercy seat. He always brings us back to the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The lid of propitiation. He's
our light. He's our guide. He is the difference
between the saved and the lost. He is our covering. He is the
one behind us. He is the one who fights for
us. And he is the one who will never
leave us. Let's look at one last scripture,
Luke chapter 11. Verse 11, If a son shall ask bread of any
of you that's a father, Dad, I'm hungry. Will he give him
the stone? Of course not. If he asks for a fish, Will he
for a fish give him a serpent? Of course not. If he shall ask
an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? Of course not. Now, if you then, being evil. What truer word to ever say?
It's the Lord speaking to His people. He says, if you then,
being evil. That's me. Shoe fits wear it. That's me. 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. You know what
I'm going to do right now? I'm going to start asking. Let's
pray together. Lord, our Father, In Christ's name, we give thanks
for your blessed Spirit, the Spirit of God. And Lord, we ask
in Christ's name that we might have the Holy Spirit, that we
might be filled with the Holy Spirit. Speaking to ourselves
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in our hearts unto Thee. Lord, grant us, graciously bestow
us Thy Spirit, that we might trust Thy Son alone. Lord, by
His grace and power, enable us to glory only in the cross of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, how we thank You that Your
Spirit abides on the tabernacle, the person of Thy dear Son, and
the mercy seat is precious blood. Lord, we delight, we rest in,
we have confidence in Thy dear Son, and Lord, we confess that's
the work of Thy blessed Spirit. Now, bless this message for Your
glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

The Holy Spirit and the Believer

What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit's role in salvation?

How do we know the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is true?

Why is following the Holy Spirit important for Christians?

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit is a gift?

How does the Holy Spirit speak to believers?

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The Holy Spirit and the Believer

What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit's role in salvation?

How do we know the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is true?

Why is following the Holy Spirit important for Christians?

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit is a gift?

How does the Holy Spirit speak to believers?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

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