WEBVTT 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:01.600 Hello, listeners. 00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:02.879 This is Pastor Creighton. 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:06.320 Thank you for tuning in to Newsong Church's Sermon Podcast. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:13.279 At Newsong Church, we want to see Jesus lifted high in Port Perry, Ontario, as we worship, grow, and serve. 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:18.000 You can learn more about us and find contact info at newsongportperry.ca. 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:23.600 Today we continue our sermon series, I believe, the Apostles' Creed in the Christian life. 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:27.600 As the creed says, I believe in the Holy Spirit. 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:29.120 Let us pray. 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:37.359 Lord, send out your light and your truth. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:39.280 Let them lead us. 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:44.479 Let them guide us to your holy hill and to the place your glory dwells. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:47.600 Come, Holy Spirit. 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:49.920 It's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:50.880 Amen. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:52.640 Please be seated. 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:16.959 Well, over the last number of weeks, of course, together we've been journeying through the Apostles' Creed, this great transit map, so to speak, of the faith, giving us these neighborhoods of Christian truth, that which we declare to be true, that which we find in Scripture to be true. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:25.840 And today we begin looking at the third section of the Creed, which begins with, I believe, with the in the Holy Spirit. 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:31.040 You see, making our way through the second section of the creed maybe seem to have some sequence to it. 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:41.760 Jesus' birth, nativity, conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus' suffering and his crucifixion, his resurrection, his ascension, and his promise to come again. 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:45.920 This is the story of Jesus and the story of our salvation. 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:54.480 This third section of the creed can sound a little bit like, you know, the odds and ends that we ought not to leave out, so to speak. 00:01:54.640 --> 00:02:04.879 You know, I believe in the Holy Spirit, and let's, you know, let's toss in there the Holy Catholic Church, let's not forget about that, and forgiveness, and let's toss in resurrection and life everlasting. 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:11.919 It can sound a little bit like the odds and ends, the miscellaneous uh doctrines that we hold to, so to speak. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:23.840 But a careful reader will recognize that it's only the Holy Spirit and life in the Spirit that makes these articles, that makes these affirmations possible. 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:28.319 Without the Holy Spirit, there would be no Holy Catholic Church. 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:33.120 Without the Spirit's coming at Pentecost, we would not be the church. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:41.520 We would not find ourselves in the communion of saints without the spiritual union we share with Christ in the Holy Spirit. 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:48.080 We would have no forgiveness of sins without the Spirit's regeneration and renewal of our hearts. 00:02:48.400 --> 00:03:01.039 We would not know the hope of the resurrection of the body were it not the Holy Spirit as the power that raised Christ from the dead and will raise us too to life everlasting. 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:15.039 It is the Holy Spirit that empowers and enables us to live the Christian life and to walk in this truth, not just as an intellectual exercise, but as a very present experience of hope. 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:31.840 It's the Nician Creed, the final form of the Nicene Creed, we often say it when we come to the Lord's table, that expands on this doctrine of who the Holy Spirit is, coming out of a debate from the fourth century church about who the Spirit is and what he does. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:36.159 The Nicene Creed tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Lord, the giver of life. 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:37.919 He's the great sustainer. 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:44.479 We've seen him up to this kind of work since Genesis chapter 1, where he's hovering over the waters of creation. 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:48.879 We get a picture of this in Psalm 104 this morning. 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:54.319 We see that the Spirit proceeds from the Father, and we read that in John 15, 26. 00:03:55.120 --> 00:04:05.599 Sometimes we say that the Spirit has proceeds from the Father and the Son, and that's a well bit of a sticky theological point, I suppose, but the end result is the same. 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:11.199 The Spirit shares the same divinity, the same origin in the Father as the Son. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:19.279 And together with the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified as God, the third person of the Trinity. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:24.319 And so we say that God has, the Holy Spirit has spoken through the prophets. 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:31.439 He has breathed out God's word through God's appointed speakers to God's people. 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:35.360 Without the Spirit, we would not know God's word. 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:45.040 So it's important for us to consider the Holy Spirit is not some kind of impersonal energy source, kind of like the Jedi, you know, kind of manipulate the force. 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:48.879 That's not the Christian's relationship with the Holy Spirit. 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:51.519 Rather, the Holy Spirit is a person. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:57.279 And in Scripture, we see that the Holy Spirit communicates and communes with our hearts. 00:04:57.519 --> 00:05:00.800 The Holy Spirit can even be grieved by sin. 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:10.959 The Holy Spirit regenerates unbelievers, he unites us to Christ, and he is for us the source of life and new life. 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:20.800 And yet, it's easy for Christians to remain very confused about this rather ethereal idea of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:26.879 Father, Son, that might make intuitive sense to us, but how does the Spirit figure into this picture? 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.160 And what should we expect the Holy Spirit to do? 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:41.360 I suspect that in this room we've heard pastors say, and preachers and theologians say, anything from a range of the Holy Spirit really doesn't have an active role apart from salvation in the life of believers, too. 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:46.480 If you're not seeing particular signs, particular wonders, then you're probably not a real Christian. 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:54.240 What is it that we should expect the Spirit to do in a huge kind of confusion about what the Holy Spirit is up to? 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:57.680 Well, this is where I want us to go to John chapter 16. 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:01.680 John chapter 16 is John's farewell discourse. 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:04.720 Well, it's Jesus' farewell discourse recorded in John. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:10.639 From chapters 13 to 17, this is Jesus in the upper room with his disciples. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:24.560 This is his final parting word with those disciples that have spent three years eating and journeying and doing life with Jesus. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:27.439 This is Jesus' parting words to them. 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:31.600 And the disciples in this moment are grieved by Jesus' imminent departure. 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:34.560 Jesus is telling them he's going to go to the Father. 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:39.199 And his disciples, well, they don't want Jesus to go. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:58.160 So Jesus promised to the disciples, his final promise is that he's going to send another helper, a paraclete, a comforter, a counselor, an advocate to equip and empower them with God's personal presence to do the work they're called to do ahead. 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:02.160 This is what we want to know about the Holy Spirit. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:08.160 Exactly what Jesus tells his disciples about the Holy Spirit in his parting words to them. 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:14.560 What is it that Jesus promises to his disciples that the Holy Spirit will do? 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:18.879 There are three things I want us to catch this morning in John chapter 16. 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:26.480 The Holy Spirit convicts, the Holy Spirit guides, and the Holy Spirit glorifies. 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:30.480 This is what Jesus promises the Holy Spirit will do to his disciples. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:35.439 This is what we see the Holy Spirit doing today in our own lives. 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:43.920 See, it's a wild thing to consider that Jesus can say, It's to your advantage that I go, because if I don't go, I will not send the helper. 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:51.519 We who live life in the Spirit are advantaged in a way over the disciples. 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:59.519 We who live in the Spirit have an advantage the disciples have yet to experience, which is a pretty wild thing to think. 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:09.199 If you've ever longed to journey with Jesus, if you've ever thought, oh, I wish I could, I wish I could just sit down and talk with Jesus like the disciples did. 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:11.759 I suspect Jesus would have this to say. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.480 It's to your advantage that I send you the Spirit. 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:18.000 It's to our advantage today that we have the Spirit. 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:33.679 And so it's my prayer that we can live confidently and live spirit-filled and spirit-directed lives in all truth to the glory of God as we receive it here in John chapter 16. 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:36.320 So what does Jesus promise that the Holy Spirit will do? 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:39.200 Well, the Holy Spirit, number one, convicts. 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:43.279 And we see this in verses 7 to 11. 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:46.240 I'm going to start halfway through verse 7 here. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:53.519 It is to your advantage that I go toway, Jesus says, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:56.720 But if I go, I will send him to you. 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:03.759 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:09.360 Conviction is a work of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts. 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:11.919 And we want to begin by understanding this work. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:14.159 We want to ask, well, what do we mean by conviction? 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:19.039 And there's a few things we don't mean by conviction, a few things that can get confused with conviction. 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:21.679 First off, we're not talking about shame. 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:31.840 The Holy Spirit does not come into the heart of the believer to rub our nose in all of our wrongdoing, to tell us that we're unworthy, to tell us that we're less than. 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:37.440 The Holy Spirit does not come into our hearts to give us a really bad self-esteem problem. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:43.919 Rather, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts crying, Abba, Father. 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:46.080 He gives us a spirit of adoption. 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:48.720 We see that in the book of Galatians. 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:55.679 It's through the Holy Spirit that we can know God as our Father and know just how loved and precious we are to the Father. 00:09:55.840 --> 00:10:01.440 And because God is our Father, the second thing conviction can't mean is a fear of punishment. 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:04.399 Conviction can't mean shame or a fear of punishment. 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:17.919 And by that I mean the Holy Spirit doesn't enter into our hearts and tell us that the Father is out to get us, that the Father has something harmful in mind for us, that the Father is coming for us sinners. 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:26.080 Rather, the Holy Spirit whispers to our hearts that our Heavenly Father is full of love and grace and generosity. 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:30.240 He's disposed towards us and not against us. 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:35.840 Voices of shame and voices of punishment are not the voice of the Holy Spirit. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:37.759 We ought to refuse those voices. 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:41.759 We ought to listen to that voice that witnesses to who we are in Christ's. 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:49.120 Conviction, this Greek word elencho, which is a great word, it sounds like a combination of electric and nachos. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:54.240 Elencho, it means to rebuke, to reprove, to expose. 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:57.679 We know this word conviction from, well, a courtroom scene, right? 00:10:57.840 --> 00:10:59.279 Someone is convicted. 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:04.399 And it's true, in conviction, wrongdoing is being exposed for what it is. 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:05.120 That's true. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:07.039 The Holy Spirit does that. 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:10.399 But why does the Holy Spirit do it? 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:16.080 Not towards shame, not towards fear, but rather towards repentance and renewal. 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:18.960 Notice Ezekiel chapter 36. 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:22.559 It's promised that the Holy Spirit will give you a new heart. 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:30.399 The Holy Spirit is interested in our spiritual renewal, in joining us to Christ. 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:32.720 Now, why do I say that? 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:36.000 Notice who the Holy Spirit is convicting here. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:40.879 When he comes, Jesus says, he will convict the world. 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:46.639 Which is the same word cosmos used in John's prologue, John chapter 1. 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:51.759 It's the world that refuses the light that's coming into the world, who is Jesus. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:56.080 It's the same word cosmos used in John chapter 3, verse 16. 00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:58.480 God so loved the world. 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:06.080 This is the work that the Holy Spirit does upon the hearts of those who would otherwise not believe that God is for them. 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:08.960 We are inclined in our hearts, perhaps. 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:14.960 Our sin corrupts us enough to think that God is against us and not for us. 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:16.320 Yes, we are sinners. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:30.399 Yes, we ought to repent and do a 180-degree turn from our wrongdoing, but we can only do so when the Spirit illumines our situation for what it is, the sinners that we are, and the forgiving Father that God is. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:34.320 Jesus is talking about the conviction that unbelievers experience. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:53.600 Conviction concerning sin, verse 9, because Jesus says they do not believe in me, if we affirm this great Bible doctrine that we're justified by faith alone, that we have a righteous standing before God, not because of our works, but because what Christ has accomplished on our behalf, then let's flip that. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:13:00.240 If we are justified by faith alone, then we are left in sin through unbelief. 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:06.960 We are left to our own devices, left powerless over the power of sin. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:14.559 It's only this work of faith that the Holy Spirit does in our hearts that allows us to apprehend Christ for who he is. 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:18.000 He convicts, he exposes sin for what it is. 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:21.679 He convicts concerning righteousness in verse 10. 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:26.080 Because I go to the Father, Jesus says, and you will see me no longer. 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:33.440 It's only the Spirit that shows us where righteousness, true righteousness, what pleases God, is really found. 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:36.399 And that's the one who sits at the Father's right hand. 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:40.639 His righteousness becomes ours only through faith. 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:48.080 And it's only through the Spirit's illuminating and exposing work that we can see Jesus for who he is, the righteous one. 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:56.480 And finally, he convicts concerning judgment, which is to say the assurance of victory, the assurance that the ruler of this world is judged. 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:58.080 He's been done away with. 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:01.200 And we can have assurance of future hope. 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:13.840 See, it's the Holy Spirit's conviction that exposes things for what they really are, and it directs folks like us who would otherwise not believe to the truth that God is revealing to us. 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:28.720 It's a little bit like uh, well, once I went to a uh a beautiful lakeside cabin, and it was stunning, a tranquil lake, rolling hills, uh just a forest as far as the eye can see. 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:32.480 But I arrived there at night and I could see none of that. 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:36.559 All I could see was this window and pitch black. 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:47.679 And I had my host saying to me, describing this scene, describing the lake, and describing the trees and describing the hills, and saying, you'll see it when the sun comes up. 00:14:48.240 --> 00:15:02.320 See, apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit, apart from that convicting, exposing work, we can't see how beautiful the good news of the gospel is, apart from him shining a light on this scene. 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:06.000 Apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit, we're left in darkness. 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:15.919 But with the illumination, the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we can know God's fatherly goodness and we can find security for our future. 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:20.240 The Holy Spirit convicts an otherwise unbelieving world. 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:25.120 And it's as though Jesus in verse 12 is bursting to tell his disciples more. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:25.679 Right? 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:29.039 I still have many things to tell you, but you can't bear them now. 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:31.279 Instead, Jesus gives a second promise. 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:35.279 The Holy Spirit convicts, but the Holy Spirit guides as well. 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:41.279 Verse 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:49.840 For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:55.279 It's the Holy Spirit that leads our hearts into all truth. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:16:05.759 It's the same word for guide that appears in Exodus, or pardon me, Acts chapter 8, verse 31, when the Apostle Philip is meeting the Ethiopian official on the road. 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:10.000 This Ethiopian official is reading from Isaiah 52 and 53. 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:14.240 He's confused about what this servant song is all about. 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:21.360 And so he asks Philip, how can I understand what I'm reading unless someone guides me? 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:26.080 Unless someone takes me by the hand and shows me what I'm not seeing here. 00:16:26.559 --> 00:16:28.960 It's much the same, the work of the Holy Spirit. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:34.320 We need someone to take us by the hand and help us to apprehend what is really true. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:38.720 It's the Spirit that Jesus promises, who does this to our hearts. 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:40.480 How does he do that? 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:47.840 This becomes a bit of a complex debate, but I want us to cut through some of the weeds by looking at Jesus' promise here. 00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:52.399 What is it that Jesus says is true of the Spirit's guidance? 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:56.879 First, let's consider who Jesus is making this promise to. 00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:01.840 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:05.839 Jesus is specifically speaking to his apostles. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:10.400 The Spirit will guide these apostles into all truth. 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:15.359 That doesn't mean he's not guiding us into truth, but let's track with what Jesus is saying here. 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:16.720 How is he going to guide? 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:19.039 Well, he's not going to speak on his own authority. 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:21.359 He's not going to make it up as he goes. 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:28.160 He's not going to say anything other than what the Father and the Son witness to, whatever he hears, he will speak. 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:31.119 And he will declare to you the things that are to come. 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:36.720 Which is not to say the Holy Spirit is going to tell the apostles who to bet on on tomorrow's horse race. 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:46.240 That is to say the Spirit is going to reveal to the apostles the last things, to give confidence in the future condition of the kingdom. 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:51.119 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, our passage for last week, is a great example. 00:17:51.279 --> 00:18:06.880 The Holy Spirit, or Paul, is led by the Holy Spirit to affirm what is true of things to come, to foster hope and assurance for us Christians, that Jesus, who lives and reigns at the Father's right hand, will come again in glory. 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:15.039 So biblical Christians understand that the apostles speak and have spoken with a unique authority given by the Spirit. 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:23.759 They were authoritatively led into truth and revelation that is necessary for our life and our salvation. 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:34.240 Their writings and teachings, which is preserved for us in the New Testament, are in Scripture are inspired. 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:39.039 We would say God breathed, to use a term from 2 Timothy 3.16. 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:46.160 It's the Spirit who breathes through their teachings and gives us that breath of life and salvation. 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:51.359 The Spirit guided the Apostles into all truth necessary for salvation. 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:53.440 What does that mean for us? 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:56.480 Does he no longer guide Christians into truth? 00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:58.559 Well, of course he guides us. 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:08.799 But having spoken authoratively through the inspired teaching of the apostles, the Holy Spirit now illumines this truth in our hearts. 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:16.079 He leads us into this truth that he's kindled through the apostles and preserved for us in Scripture. 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:24.160 And we can rest assured that the Spirit is not saying something different to us that he said to the Apostles, because the Spirit doesn't contradict himself. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:28.880 So, perhaps you're looking to live a spirit-guided life. 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:31.920 That's a very noble thing, a very Christian thing. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:38.799 And perhaps there's a big decision in front of you, and you're looking for the Spirit to tell you, do I choose A, do I choose B? 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:42.000 That's a very Christian place to be. 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:50.480 We need to begin by understanding that the Spirit's guiding work is tied together with his illumination in Scripture. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:54.000 This is not a sort of drop and flop method of guidance. 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:55.920 Do you know what I mean by the drop and flop? 00:19:56.079 --> 00:20:02.319 The drop and flop is when we do this thing where we've got a big decision to make and we go, okay, Holy Spirit, tell me what I gotta do. 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:04.079 Drop, flop it. 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:04.640 Right? 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:06.000 And what's that verse? 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:09.519 Well, if the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth. 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:12.000 Okay, I think that's a no. 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:18.160 Do you get maybe you say it sounds kind of silly, but no one's above that. 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:24.880 We're all looking in our devotions for this latest thing that the Spirit's gonna, you know, give us that immediate answer for. 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:29.839 The truth is this can cause us more trouble than good if we're not careful. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:36.240 A pastor friend of mine was telling me a very true story that's funny until you realize how tragic it is. 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:43.119 He was counseling a middle-aged woman whose marriage was was uh it was it was in a difficult time. 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:47.920 In the midst of all this, there was a young suitor at work she was taking an interest to. 00:20:48.640 --> 00:21:00.880 And so, back and forth for a number of months, the counseling goes, and the pastor is doing his best to draw this woman's attention to her calling in Scripture. 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:05.599 Um, until one day she entered the office and she goes, I know exactly what God wants me to do. 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:07.680 And he goes, Oh, okay. 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:09.119 Please share it with me. 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:16.559 And she says, I think God, well, I know God, wants me to leave my husband and run off with this guy. 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:19.440 And the pastor's very surprised to hear this. 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:21.680 You know, there's some gray areas in scripture. 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:23.599 Adultery isn't really one of them. 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:28.079 And so he says, Well, how did you, how would you possibly arrive at that conclusion? 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:30.480 And she says, Well, I was praying. 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:41.200 And then I felt like I had to drop my Bible open, and I dropped it open in Ephesians 2, uh, pardon me, Ephesians 4, 24, which in her translation read, put on the new man. 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:46.000 And for her that meant, I'm running off with this guy. 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:47.759 I'm putting on the new man. 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:54.400 If we're mindful of what that verse really means, it's Paul's call to live out a life in Christ. 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:59.759 Put off sin and what belongs to your old life, put on the new person that Christ. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:00.960 Is making you. 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:06.799 It means totally the opposite thing to what this woman very tragically concluded. 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:09.119 So we need to be mindful. 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:32.640 As we discern, as we seek the Spirit's guidance, we have to be mindful not to do the drop and flop, not to be looking for the latest inclination or intuition, but always, always bringing our senses, bringing our inclinations, bringing our feelings, bringing our words of counsel underneath the authority of Scripture for what it says. 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:40.160 It means cultivating a habit of daily seeking the will and character and calling of God in Scripture. 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:50.559 My devotions this morning might not have specifically given me guidance on how to get our puppy from stopping to whine, but it does shape me, inform me in who God is. 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:56.400 It points me towards the one who is redeeming me, and it cultivates in me his character and his calling. 00:22:56.559 --> 00:23:11.680 I need to set aside that time to seek the Spirit's voice, the voice of the shepherd in Scripture, where he promises to speak to us because he has led the apostles into all truth, and he illumines that truth to my heart. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:15.759 The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:20.319 And we seek that truth where it ought to be found in inspired Scripture. 00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:25.279 The Holy Spirit convicts the Holy Spirit, uh, the Holy Spirit convicts, the Holy Spirit guides. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:26.720 This is where I want us to land. 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:28.799 The Holy Spirit glorifies. 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:32.319 Pardon me, I did the drop and flop, so I've lost my page. 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:33.519 Here we go. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:35.759 The Holy Spirit glorifies. 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:40.880 Jesus says, He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:42.880 All that the Father has is mine. 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:47.039 Therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:50.160 So we see here the Spirit's not about self-promotion. 00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:52.799 He's all about glorifying who? 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:54.480 Jesus. 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:57.359 He will glorify me, Jesus says. 00:23:57.519 --> 00:23:59.680 So what does it mean to glorify someone? 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:02.960 Well, it means to magnify, to exalt, to lift high. 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:06.240 One of the most glorious things I've ever seen were the crown jewels. 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:08.960 It was in the Tower of London a couple of years ago. 00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:10.319 And it's stunning. 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:11.519 It's radiant. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.799 It's just indescribable. 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:17.279 And maybe you've seen them themselves or you've seen pictures of them. 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:24.000 And Rachel and I, we were looking at these jewels in this big glass box. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:27.839 And they were just radiating magnificence. 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:34.640 But I took a step back and I started to see the lighting all across the roof, the ceiling. 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:36.480 Kind of like the lighting here. 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:39.759 Although I'm not nearly as magnificent. 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:42.559 But I started to see that lighting. 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:45.200 I started to see the illumination from underneath. 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:53.279 And all this light reflected and refracted off these jewels to showcase their beauty and their resplendance. 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:55.599 See, this is the role of the Holy Spirit. 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:58.880 This is the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Son. 00:24:59.039 --> 00:25:03.920 The Spirit's not interested in his own glory or his exaltation or establishing his own kingdom. 00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:13.200 He's all about shining a floodlight on the sun so that we can see how beautiful, how splendiferous Jesus is. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:16.160 That's what the Holy Spirit wants us to see. 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:17.599 He wants us to see Jesus. 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:20.160 He wants us to be enamored with Jesus. 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:25.920 And so we find ourselves most in the Spirit when our eyes are most fixed on who Jesus is. 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:30.000 And we behold his beauty for ourselves. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:36.160 See, the Spirit is all about declaring to us what is Jesus and sharing it with us. 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:38.319 That's true of the truth of Scripture. 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:40.079 That's true with spiritual gifts. 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:42.640 Some of us have been tracking with New Songs Bible reading. 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:45.920 We just read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 about spiritual gifts. 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:52.559 The Spirit is all about imparting to us what is Jesus to build up his body, that is us here on earth. 00:25:52.799 --> 00:26:00.880 And the Spirit also imparts to us the very character of Christ that we see in the fruit of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians chapter 6. 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:11.680 The Holy Spirit is all about shining that light on Jesus, so that we can be enamored with him, so that we can be drawn closer to him, so that we can live a more Christ-like life out. 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:18.720 It's no accident that in the chapter that precedes this one, we're told that he is the vine and we are the branches. 00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:27.279 It's the life of the spirit that makes the life of the vine flow in and out of us as branches and causes us to bear fruit. 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:34.720 We are most in the spirit when we do our utmost to lift Jesus high and to shine the light on him. 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:36.960 That's why, that's what new song is about. 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:42.079 That's why we gather to lift Jesus high in Port Perry. 00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:46.480 We're about glorifying him because the Spirit is about glorifying him. 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:50.799 And we are in the Spirit if we are glorifying Jesus. 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:59.599 So maybe we can start to see why it's to our advantage that Jesus goes, because he will send us the helper, the spirit of truth. 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:03.359 He will convict us concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:11.279 He will show us things as they really are, but give us a great assurance that we are children of God and that we have the hope in a future. 00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:14.559 The Spirit will guide us into all truth. 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:21.759 That guidance will certainly not be divorced from the truth he has given us in Scripture, but he will speak to our hearts. 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:24.880 He will form in us the character of Christ. 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:28.640 And the Spirit glorifies the Son. 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:34.079 And so we find ourselves most wrapped up in the Spirit when Jesus is lifted high. 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:44.079 I can think no greater prayer for us saints here in this place than Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:48.319 Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:51.839 Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:53.359 May it be so. 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:54.319 Amen.