2016-02-19
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, using the example of David’s actions based on his prior friendship covenant with Jonathan, we saw how covenant partners must take responsibility for each other’s families. Jonathan’s crippled son, Mephibosheth, was taken into David’s household along with all his servants, welcomed at David’s table as any family member is, for the rest of his life [2 SAM 9: 11-12]. I made the point that it is by means of the action of the Holy Spirit that such a thing could happen. And, I was led to discuss the “inward transformation by the renewal of the mind” [RO 12: 2] that takes place when one comes to obedient faith.
Today, we will delve into what the Holy Spirit has done and is doing in a believer. COL 2: 11-14, “In Him [Christ] you were also circumcised in the putting off of the sinful nature; not with a circumcision done by the hands of men, but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, Who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations…He took it away, nailing it to the cross.” This really helps us to better understand what is said in COL 3: 3-4, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ, and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share in His glory.” How does God do this? It is by means of the Holy Spirit. He is dwelling in the souls of believers, having been sent there by Christ, authorized to do so by the Father.
For the sake of clarity, let’s review AC 1: 4-5, 8. “On one occasion while He [Christ] was eating with them [His disciples], He gave them this command, ‘Do not leave for Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised and you have heard me speak about, for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” Most of you know the story of what happened, but I will share AC 2: 2-4. “On the day of Pentecost, suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.” Some of my seekers from In Search of Shalom would question this, calling it a convenient “fairy story” to explain the seemingly unexplainable. However, we must remember HE 11: 1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.” Our Father is certainly capable of things that go beyond the normal human laws of the universe, things we refer to as supernatural. After all He created us as described in GN 1: 26 and 2: 20b-23. Our faith in these things brings us to where the rubber meets the road.
We all know the story of the original sin [GN 3: 1-6], which is why we inherit sin [separation from God] in the first place. God, whose heart is loving, makes clothes out of animal skins for Adam and Eve before expelling them from the Garden of Eden [GN 3: 21]. This matters, because blood had to have been shed first, indicating a promise on God’s part of eventual forgiveness [LV 17: 11 and HE 9: 22]. Much later, He sends Christ to us to be the only acceptable sin-Sacrifice to suffer and die on the cross, so as to make salvation and eternal forgiveness available to those who repent of their sins and believe in Christ [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 23-25]. As I wrote last week, that gives believers justification, eternal forgiveness, and salvation. It also begins the process of sanctification in which we gradually reveal, genuinely confess, and expunge sins from our lives. God works to purify [perfect] us during our remaining time on earth, in preparation for glorification. This is the process of Him calling us to His side in heaven, on His time-clock and in His perfect way, for a blissful and sweet eternal fellowship with Him [JN 6: 39-40; EPH 1: 4-5]. We can’t cooperate in sanctification alone; the Holy Spirit is with us to teach and help us in this process [JN 14: 16-18, 21]. He is the Source of any courage of faith and actions we have. He is the third personality of our Covenant Partner, and thus, He gives us the strength and wisdom to know why it’s important that the written law was cancelled in favor of the “new way of the Spirit” [RO 7: 6]. This involves a real understanding of the content of the law and not just its format. 2 COR 3: 6, “He [Holy Spirit] has made us competent as minister of a new covenant –not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The Spirit sets us free from sin and spiritual death, which previously reigned over us. Remember He is one of the personalities of our loving Covenant Partner!
PRAYER: O Lord, each week we come before Your throne to acknowledge the great blessings You give us and Your supremacy, superiority, and sovereignty over our lives. Your attributes and actions lead us to bow our heads with hearts You have filled with love, reverence, and awe, by means of the Holy Spirit. Without Christ’s unselfish Atonement and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we would be hopeless and without real worth [JN 15: 5]. With them, we are spurred to faithful obedience, emotional/spiritual balance, and good deeds. You forge faith-strengthening and precious friendships with other believers for our lives. You present us with opportunities to serve others while we serve You. You bring us to both personal and corporate worship, which takes many forms. You have opened the channel of prayer, so that the urgings of the Holy Spirit in us can be communicated, and You can share Your wisdom and direction with us. You have shown us the fruits of the Holy Spirit ---love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control [GA 5: 22-23]. You use the Holy Spirit to cause us to study Your word, so that we might know Your will for our lives and recognize the blessings You bestow on us every day. Moreover, it is the Your Spirit, Who moves us to take courage and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who are willing to listen and have not yet come to faith in Him. It is by Your Spirit that we might have wonderful covenant relationships with other believers and potential believers in our lives. At the center of our lives is Your Son, Jesus Christ, Who loves us enough to remain there, working for the good of every believer [RO 8: 1, 28]. You equip us to win in spiritual warfare in His name [EPH 1: 18-20; EPH 6: 10-18], and never abandon those who love You [PS 9: 9-10]. We thank and praise You forever, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led by the Holy Spirit to write about Christ. The mystery of our faith is Christ in us as believers [COL 1: 25-26; COL 2: 2]. But there is more to this than just having His company. We’ll look at what this really means to our lives. In the meanwhile, it would be foolish to pass up a chance to share what the Holy Spirit does in my life. At one time, I was angry and on spiritual empty. So, it turned to rebellion in the form of using foul language, doing vandalism to people’s property, and in general giving in to the temptation to be prideful and with a short temper. As you know, my father stepped in, never realizing that his frequent absences [He was a doctor doing house calls] and my mother’s stubbornness in assuming children should be seen but never heard were at the root of my behavior. His decision to pull me away from the bad influences from the wrong crowd helped to change my earthly life and attitudes about school. Traditional Judaism as it was practiced in our home never reached my spirit. Amazingly, the Lord had me in His sight all along! I’m guessing He planned for me to live in this kind of misery for a time, so that I could learn to appreciate the contrast between a life without faith in Him and one with it. When it dawned on me that my life could be better than it had been, I slowly emerged form my misery with an attitude totally reversed regarding my studies, who were real friends, and eventually, in abandoning traditional Judaism’s rejection of Christ as Lord. With little foresight and only hindsight to work with, it now seems obvious that it was through the Holy Spirit that the Lord affected this “inward transformation by the renewal of my mind.” Are things perfect for me now? Of course not! I’m still in the process of sanctification, just like any other believing sinner is. But my life has direction, and I am aware of the many blessings the Lord has given me. I’m not taking a single one for granted. I’ve gone through all kinds of challenges, disappointments, losses, and some heavy-duty spiritual warfare. It is because of the Holy Spirit that I am still here, writing to each of you from my heart. Praise and thanks be to the Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2015. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives