Hello
Friends!
Welcome back! As we learned and discussed in our prior
studies of The Holy Spirit: His Work & Ministry
we considered The BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit at SALVATION
according to God’s wonderful Word…
Therefore,
let’s now consider the FOURTH critical concern regarding this
important subject matter surrounding the third PERSON
of the thrice Holy Trinity within the Godhead – The WORK
of the Holy Spirit in SANCTIFICATION!
The Holy Spirit: His Work & Ministry (Part 4)
The WORK
of the Holy Spirit in SANCTIFICATION!
As
a sincere “Christian” and FOLLOWER of “Jesus
Christ” our Lord, do you ever struggle with the pressures
of on-going residual “sin”
issues in your life? And as a result, do you ever doubt that “God” is actually PLEASED
with your “life” lived IN Him even though the Bible CLEARLY states otherwise? Beloved, if
we’re HONEST with GOD and OURSELVES,
we ALL feel this way from time to time – Our Sanctification Struggle!
OPENING POINTS TO PONDER: Do you lack
God’s POWER in your life? Are
you ineffective
in SHARING the “Gospel”
of “Jesus Christ” with unbelievers? Does
your “preaching” or “teaching” seem to be void of SUPERNATURAL influence? Do other people
seem rarely MOVED to ACTION by your “ministry”
efforts, thus continue in their “sin”
patterns and lack the conviction of their NEED to “repent”
unto “God” for His REFUGE of “salvation”
and/or “sanctification” through Him?
If you find this scenario TRUE
for you, is it possible that you do NOT
really “believe” the “LORD” can do anything IN
and THROUGH you as He PROMISES
in His Word? Is it thus possible you simply SAY
you “believe” in the “Holy
Spirit’s” provisional POWER,
but are actually TRUSTING in your own SUBJECTIVE external experiences, abilities,
talents
or training
attained by/through “sinful”
maniacal – MAN?
If
so, perhaps you may have FALLEN
into the age-old TRAP of rationalism
or post-modernism
of which espouses an UNBILICAL
approach to spiritual MATURITY
within your “walk” with God. HOW? Through a mere mental assent of
the “heart” and “mind”
purporting that a simple dissemination of information
is ALL that is NECESSARY
to LIVE out a SOUND
and VICTORIOUS vivacious “Christian” life IN
our “Lord Jesus Christ” of which leads
one to a LACK of Biblical – Holy Spirit EMPOWERED living!
For by
one offering he hath perfected
for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy
Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith
the Lord, I will put my laws
into their hearts,
and in their minds
will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin – Hebrews 10:14-18
That
said, let’s assume you DO
indeed “believe” in the “Holy Spirit’s” saving WORK
in the “life” of a serious “Christian” and that you DO indeed EXPECT
Him to work IN and THROUGH you in His “sanctification”
penetrating POWER… But, you CONTINUE to see very LITTLE
happening IN your life... What THEN?
QUIZZING QUESTIONS: If you find this COMMON scenario TRUE
of yourself,
seriously CONSIDEER this
poignantly IMPORTANT intentional
question – Do you REALLY believe IN the Sanctifying POWER of the Holy
Spirit?
For
the true “believer” in “Jesus Christ,” the FILLING
of the “Holy Spirit” will YIELD an increased CONVICTION
of “sin“
and an ON-GOING process of “sanctification“ through “repentance” via a “fruitful”
life “lived” for the GLORY of “God
the Father” in Heaven! Therefore, if WE
expect our LIVES to bring forth EMPOWERED meaningful “ministry” and SERVICE
unto Him, this poignant point begs TWO
eternally ESSENTIAL questions for each
of US to SERIOUSLY
consider:
FIRST question: HOW
can we possess more of His “power”
to work within our “lives”
and “ministry” efforts?
SECOND question: WHAT
can prevent
His “power” from working within our “lives” and “ministry”
efforts?
BIBLICAL
ANSWER: We must continually be BEING always FILLED
with the “Holy Spirit” Himself – Praise the Lord!
And be not drunk with wine,
wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit; Speaking to
yourselves in psalms
and hymns
and spiritual songs,
singing and
making melody in your
heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always
for all
– Ephesians 5:18-20
POIGNANT POINT: As we have diligently
determined at GREAT
length, mined directly from God’s Word, there is only ONE
Biblical “baptism” of the “Holy Spirit” Himself. WHEN?
At the MOMENT of “salvation” coupled with MANY on-going FILLINGS
within the “fruit” producing PROCESS of “sanctification”
by God. HOW? Through the SUBMITTED life IN
the MATURING mindset of a “believer” of whom IS
willfully “walking in the
Spirit” unto the increasing LIKENESS
of “Jesus Christ” our Lord – Christ-likeness!
In
fact, the life-long “sanctification”
process is an ACT of our willful OBEDIENCE unto God EMPOWERED
by the “Holy Spirit” as Apostle Paul
further notes THROUGHOUT his excellent
epistles:
What
shall we say then? Shall
we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.
How shall we, that are
dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know
ye not, that so many of
us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ
were baptized
into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness
of life. For if we have been planted
together in the likeness
of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we
should not serve sin. For he that is dead is
freed from sin.
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise
reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof. Neither
yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:
but yield yourselves
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over
you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall
we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye
not, that to whom ye
yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto
death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But
God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of
doctrine which was delivered you. Being then
made free from sin,
ye became the servants
of righteousness. I speak after the manner
of men because of the infirmity
of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto
holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye
were free from
righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye
are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now
being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and
the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God
is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord – Romans
6:1-23
Unto
the church of God
which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that
in every place call
upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's – 1
Corinthians 1:2
But the
fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance:
against such there is no
law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk in the
Spirit – Galatians
5:22-25
Furthermore
then we beseech
you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us
how ye ought to walk
and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For
this is the will of
God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
That every
one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
That no
man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all
such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto
uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore
that despiseth, despiseth
not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Being
Filled BY the Holy Spirit is “received” of HIM coupled with OUR
humble OBDEDINCE and is an ON-GOING
reality! And if WE lack the POWER of “God” by the “Holy Spirit”
in our “lives” and “ministry” endeavors, it is a MUST that we CONSTANTLY and CONTINUALLY be BEING always “filled” with the “Holy Spirit”
Himself – AGAIN and AGAIN!
The
“Scriptures” are abundantly CLEAR that “God” through “the offering of the body” of “Jesus Christ” has fully COMPLETED His omnipotent “once for all”
poignant POSITIONAL
work of “sanctification” in
lieu of “salvation” for ALL
true “Christians” in Him:
By the
which will we are sanctified
through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all – Hebrews
10:10
And
there are NO spiritual supplemental
religious ceremonies or human EFFORTS that could ever augment
nor improve upon the SUFFICIENT
saving “atonement” for “sin” that “Jesus”
has fully ACCOMPLISHED on “our” behalf. Therefore, if YOU are IN
God “Jesus Christ” incarnate, the “Holy Spirit” indeed resides IN YOU, resulting in a Biblically sound – SEALED
Salvation ASSURANCE!
In whom
ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise – Ephesians
1:13
However,
through the UNREPENTANT residue of “sin” and “rebellion”
against “God” & His “Holy” Word, we CAN
certainly live WITHOUT His available POWER in our “Christian”
lives. This seriously STUBBORN
state of “heart” and “mind” will eventually result
in spiritually DEBILITATING
and STIFLING confusion! In fact, as you will recall, our
Lord “Jesus Christ” had this to
say of His OWN personal “disciples” concerning this very CRITICAL issue:
If ye 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? – Luke 11:13
Beloved,
God’s Word CONSISTANTLY tells “us” that “we”
are ALL indeed “evil”
and “wicked” at “heart” by fallen default:
The heart
is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? – Jeremiah 17:9
Therefore
WE must CONSCIOUSLY
always be “asking” our “heavenly Father” for
the “Holy Spirit”
(refer to our previous study of Luke 11:1-13) and thus MUST Biblically BELIEVE
He can “fill” each of US and “work”
His wonderful “will” powerfully THROUGH each of US
for – The BENEFIT of OTHERS unto HIS
Glory!
REAL REFLECTIONS: Our “walk” with the Lord is NOT one of PERFECTION but one of DIRECTION!
There is a distinct
difference concerning
our eternal RELATIONSHIP with God verses our earthly FELLOWSHIP with Him. There are MANY FILLINGS received FROM
the “Holy
Spirit” in your
“sanctification” and YOU have ALL of HIM at
the MOMENT of your “salvation”
in “Jesus Christ” alone – HOWEVER… Does HE have ALL of
YOU?
Don’t miss our next exciting study – “The Holy Spirit: His Work &
Ministry”
We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!
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Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><
Encouraging Concepts
Truth for Today
"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"Lighthouse Publications <><
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