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cooperation of the father, the son and the holy spirit. Uh our our salvation involves the entire trinity. So I don't want to um on the side of this is all
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the holy spirit and to and to um denigrate or or dismiss things that you know of God the father and and God
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the son. But uh the scriptures record that we we have a cooperation of the three persons. Um
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for example, um there there's there there's they work together and there's a mutual purpose, but there's a a time. Um when
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we read um in 1 John chapter 2, John uh tells us that that Christ is our advocate with the father in heaven. Um
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he says, "My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus
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Christ the righteous. And he himself is the propitiation for our sins. and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. By this we know that we
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come to know him if we keep his commandments. Um we have an advocate with with the father. And yet Jesus said that one of the reasons he's going away
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is that we would have an advocate here. Uh he told us that in John 14. I will ask the father and he will give you another helper and an advocate that he
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may be with you forever. That is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive but it does not because it does not see him or know him but you know him
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because he abides with you and will be in you. Um there's a cooperation, there's a uh a working a a mutual
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purpose. Um there's there's no disagreement. Uh last week we looked at a a couple of passages of, you know, where where Paul says that that God
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raised Christ from the dead. And um Romans uh sorry, Acts 17 um through a man whom he has appointed
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by furnishing proof to all men by raising him from the dead. And yet we see in uh Romans 1, he says he uh declared um
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declared um Jesus the son of God by the power by the resurrection from the dead according to the Holy Spirit. Um so there is that working together that we will never
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overly state the facts and maybe I already have, but there's no disagreement among the Trinity. No contradiction in their purposes uh concerning the church,
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concerning the body of Christ. Um and you know, Toer brings out that In this this context there there are
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there are many who um who view the the Old Testament as so totally separate from the New Testament. Uh looking at the Old Testament as that's the book of
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judgment and the New Testament as the book of love. Um and Toer said, "Well, I did my own homework and uh guess what?
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Um mercy Um mercy uh outweighs in the Old Testament the the discussion of mercy outweighs the discussion of mercy in the New Testament
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3 to one." Um so and there are those who look at um the the Old Testament God is he's the
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villain. He's the bully. He's the tyrant. And then Jesus had to come along and say, you know, time out, time out. I I love these people. You need to accept him. That's not how scripture portrays
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the Trinity. Um the God who um was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God
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the trinity is a trinity in unity and uh it they have not changed from the beginning. um they are in the
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they're in the business of saving the Um and I I said Luke 10, but I think it's Luke 15 that that Toer spent quite a bit
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of time on. Uh but just listen to Jesus parable. uh it's familiar to you, but just um
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as one he says of himself in Luke 19, the son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Here's how he illustrates that in Luke
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15. Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near him to listen to him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, ' This
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man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable, saying, "What man among you, if he has a hund sheep and has lost one of them, does not
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leave the 99 in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it. When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulder, rejoicing.
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And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost." I tell you that in the same way, there
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would be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. Um
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repentance. Um that seeking and saving the lost is uh that hasn't changed um in the heart of God. father, son or holy spirit. That's
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the witness bearer, the witness advocate. that the Holy Spirit has a job to do. When Christ ascended
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and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, one of those jobs the Holy Spirit has is to tell the world to convince the world
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that Jesus was the son of God, that Jesus was the true Messiah. Um Jesus says
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Jesus says when the helper comes whom I send to you from the father that is the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father he will testify about me and you will testify also because you have been with
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me from the beginning. There are um you still read it um and maybe even some discussions uh with your
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work colleagues or uh neighbors uh you'll get that brush of the hand. Yeah, Jes Jesus. Yeah, he was a nice guy. Um but man, he was uh delusional
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itinerant nutcase. itinerant nutcase. uh went around thinking that he was God. And he was really when you think of it, they
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would say, or at least what they imply is that Jesus was an impostor. And yet the Holy Spirit is sent
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to show us that Jesus is the son of God. That's one of his his jobs. And it's not just, you know, I my my thought, you know, reading John, um,
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to convict the world, to convince the world. Yeah, that's that's true. But don't forget don't forget that the work that the spirit is doing
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is not just the world out there, the the pagans, those who don't know Christ, but assurance for those who do know Christ.
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Um therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in
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Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Um sometimes we we need that reminder that
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convincing Jesus is the son of God. He is the true have come to know him because the spirit of life in Christ
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has set you free. Paul goes on later and u I I guess just reminded looking at it from this
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perspective kind of changing that diadem and looking at it seeing how much Paul tells us of the work of the Holy Spirit
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in Romans chapter 8. In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses. our weaknesses. For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself
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intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts knows what this mind of the spirit is because he intercedes for the
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saints according to the will of God. Um the witness bearing of the Holy Spirit is not just for the unbelieving world.
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It's a comfort. It's a help. It's a It's a strength for believers.
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Yes, the Holy Spirit did confirm with the apostles uh his work and uh the apostles testified to that. Um I think it's Toer, it may have been um Sincar
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Ferguson or John Owen. Those were the three I was able to to read some this this uh week. Um one of them basically says yes
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and they were still trying to grasp more fully who who Jesus was. and the Holy Spirit.
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They needed the Holy Spirit to do the work that they were appointed to do. And I think in Acts chapter 5, Peter testifies to that. And he says,
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"But Peter and the apostles answered, we must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging him on a
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cross. He is the one whom God exalted to his right hand as a prince and a savior to grant repentance to e Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are
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witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. They saw that yes, our job
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is to to to be a witness to the son of God, to the Messiah. But I think Peter recognizes with
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without the witness of the Holy Spirit, I would not be able to do this this ministry that he left us to do.
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The writer to the Hebrews in the second chapter of that book says, "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was first spoken
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through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard God also testifying with them both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the
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Holy Spirit according to his own will." Um, we needed, as Jesus says, we needed
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he he needed to go away because if he didn't go away, then the Holy Spirit wouldn't come. But he went away to bring the Holy Spirit. And starting with those 12 apostles and
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those who believed in the word through them through gifts and signs and wonders laid the
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foundation for generations to follow. Um the gifts of the Holy Spirit used according to the will of God and the church began to grow and flourish.
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and flourish. um a necessary thing um a necessary task and uh and uh where would we be if that was not the
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plan of God? The whole issue of the controversy of the world the world versus the Messiah. the world regarding
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the Messiah um as an impostor or as of no account no account is again it's part of the spirit's work.
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the thinking of natural man has has not changed since the days that Jesus walked the earth. um Jesus trying to explain to them who he was and uh a scene in John nine where the
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men kind of Jesus has healed someone and I think it's the blind one of the blind men and um they say to each other we
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know that God has spoken to Moses but as for this man meaning Jesus we do not know where he is from well The spirit
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was sent to reprove the world for their unbelief and to convince the world of the truth convert concerning Jesus. John 16
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Jesus says but I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I did not go away the helper will not come to you. But if I go I will send him to you. And he when he comes will
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convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Concerning sin because they do not believe in me. Concerning righteousness because I go to
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the father and you no longer see me. And concerning judgment because the ruler of this world has been judged.
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when I read um to I don't know I came up with the word and typed it in my notes but to me these are scary passages. uh Matthew 12 and uh Mark 3,
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but let me read from Matthew 12 um starting at verse 23.
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And all the multitudes were amazed and began to say, "This man cannot be the son of David, can he?" But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man cast out demons only by Beelible, the ruler of the demons." And knowing their
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thoughts, he said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste. And any city or house divided against itself shall not stand? And if Satan
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casts out Satan, he is divided against himself, how then shall his kingdom stand? And if by beelible cast out demons, by wh if I by beelible
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cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out?" Consequently, they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the spirit of God, then the kingdom
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of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house? He who is not with me
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is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. Therefore, I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit
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shall not be forgiven. And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. But whoever shall speak against the Holy
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Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him either in this age or in the age to come. As I say though, that's a scary passage.
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I agree with uh Sinclair Ferguson um that it helps to explain why this is what he wrote. It helps to explain why while blasphemy against the son of man may be forgiven
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against uh that against the holy spirit will not. will not. The latter involved not just a personal reaction to Jesus,
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but a rejection of the spirit's ministry and therefore the evidence that the kingdom has come and a new age has dawn.
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In Matthew 12, it seems the the u the accusation that Jesus performed miracles by be elible, by the prince of the
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uh that seems like on the surface that they're speaking against Jesus himself. And yet
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Jesus says, "No, they're rejecting they're rejecting the witness bearer, the witness advocate, one who has come to convince you of the sin, convince you that Jesus
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is the son of God, that he is the true son of the father." In Mark three, the context is a a little bit different, but it they were saying
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he has an unclean spirit. And it seems that it's not the rejection of Christ, but it is the rejection of the work of the Holy
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Spirit convicting, convincing, of piercing of piercing the heart. the heart. that that rejection or cursing or
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dismissing the Holy Spirit's work is what constitutes a blasphemy and an unforgivable sin.
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And I don't I haven't plumbed the depths of that obviously, but it is a it's a sobering passage to read. And yet what we see is that Christ himself has said,
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"I tell you the truth. It's your advantage that I go away. I must go away that the helper will come and convict the world concerning sin and
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you mentioned several times to the world, but also in the passages.
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Christ doesn't say he's going to send the earth when he goes to the witness in front of the world
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act in the spirit and understand we are now we're no longer under the rule of heard last week that fought against
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I was I was looking at um and and maybe this maybe this will help a little bit. Um
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um Paul writes for the for the love of Christ controls us having concluded this that one died for all. Therefore all died and he died for all that they who live should no longer live for
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themselves but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore, from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh. Even though we have known
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Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer. Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things passed away.
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Behold, new things have come. Um, looking at that phrase, recognize no man according to the flesh.
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Um but in spiritual terms. Um and I guess that that that was my next point is trying to
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understand that understand that man tries to make sense of God, religion, his life in terms of of
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physical things. and and some turn to icons and idols and uh pictures.
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Um and yet we we know that our own hearts were changed by the influence of the Holy Spirit that something
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how does um I think Toer put it re redemption is objective. it Christ redeemed. Christ redeemed. But salvation
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But salvation comes within. It comes not from within ourselves but from the outside to within. And so my my thought is that
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as Paul says, we regard no man recognize no man according to the flesh. that we recognize that as we interact with
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people, as we interact with the world, as we see the world, um, and just um it's frustrating in in all over over my
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life, but just especially now where we we see, you know, there peace in the Middle East, peace in the Baltics, peace in the straight of hormon
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moves that that's not the peace of God. That's got to come from the conviction uh of men in the heart. And um
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I think the Holy Spirit is still working. I mean, if I read John 16, he's convicting people, individuals of
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sin because they don't believe in him. But he convicts them that that there is a righteousness, that there is a truth, there is
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there is a mediator, a man. Um, so I think the Holy Spirit is still involved in the world. Uh, yes, he's speaking to believers, but I think the Holy Spirit
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is still involved in in changing lives. Um, Chuck and then Nick, what is the role of What is the
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manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the world where there is no church or where the church is living in
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beyond the testimony of creation of the existence of God. Is there any testimony without the church? I I don't know what it would be.
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Okay. I was going to go to Nick and then I'll come back. Go ahead. Go ahead. What's the difference between the Holy
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conscience. And I do think a conscience changes, that it grows, that it sees things differently, perceives things and reacts differently to things
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I I believe that um that's true. Um specific verse doesn't come to mind right now but just reading uh in John where Jesus explains that um
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uh John 7 um yes um I was also thinking about um I mean just the how is Christ present with us today
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is through the Holy Spirit. And I think that has to be part of the meaning of that that verse I I think we all know and can recite.
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But have we thought about that when Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." How can
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that be when he went away? went away? It's by the the abiding of the Holy Spirit within us and and yes um the
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influence of uh believers on others as they are salt and light in the world as they are um
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witnesses witness bearers of what Christ has done. That I think that's what Peter says. I'm I'm here because the Holy Spirit has enlightened me as to who Christ is. But he is the one that I
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Yes. One word we haven't mentioned yet. That is the power of that regeneration.
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Holy spirit. But the gospel is the responsibility of the church. It's not going out there willy-nilly falling out of the sky. Even the testimony of conscience and testimony of creation
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are not sufficient. Right? They're only sufficient to remove excuse not to say salvation is through the gospel. That's what links the Holy Spirit to the
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church in this age is proclamation of the gospel where that where that's lacking where that's lacking. So also is
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it's as if the Holy Spirit can do nothing as Jesus could do no miracles in Nazare. The spirit even himself
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can only render judgment. Right. Yeah. Um okay. Um thank you for for the input. Um, no,
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it's just uh trying to to understand um I guess examining here the errors that we we sometimes make uh that that um
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that sometimes we we we turn to images or physical objects to try to I don't know adjust our attitudes or try to get into some kind of spiritual
36:37
attitude. And we we don't worship that way. We don't worship what we see. We don't worship by uh according to the flesh. But also we we don't worship and
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and understand God by um I think it's uh Owen calls calls it the attitude secret chambers. Um, and again, the the
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Puritans will um always um take their shots at, you know, the Roman church. Um, but what he's
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getting at is is that it it's the spirit of Christ in us. We don't go to a secret chamber. We don't become a monk. We
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don't withdraw and isolate ourselves. We don't become a hermit in a cave and stare at our neighbors neighbors and and and meditate. We're we're not lone
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rangers because that's a that's a selfdeception that creates an imagination in our own minds uh that that will somehow either
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lead us to salvation or make us more spiritual. It's the Holy Spirit abiding within us who is guiding us into all the truth. Um,
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truth. Um, we are we are pressed on pressed on as Paul said, we we are exhorted to press on to know Christ.
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But I don't know that we can know him fully without the Holy Spirit guiding us into that truth. Um, to know Christ is to love Christ.
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We know the commandment. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself. That's the two greatest commandments.
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And yet, we are shown the love of God. We are our hearts are made they're strengthened made willing by the power
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of the Holy Spirit. And we know from the scriptures that we are exhorted to be conformed to the image of Christ.
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And yet again that power, that energy, that strength comes from the Holy Spirit.
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But the desire again by the witness bearing of the Holy Spirit encouraging in us, assuring us that Christ is with us through him.
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Then we can be like Paul and we can have this kind of witness. Philippians 3.
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Philippians 3. But whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as lost for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ
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Jesus my Lord. for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and may be found in him. Not having a
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righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
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that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the
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resurrection from the dead. Let us pray. Our father, we do rejoice in these things
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even as we are spurred to to meditate more deeply upon them to try to understand to allow the Spirit to guide us into all
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the truth to allow him to enlighten our hearts, our minds, our consciences to these things these things that we truly would understand
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that to gain Christ means a loss of all things. And yet we will rejoice in that loss. To gain Christ.
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And so we ask that you would continue to to fill us, to teach us, to grow us, to train us in righteousness and in love and in faith
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for the building up of your church and for the glory of God our father. We ask in Christ's name. Amen.
