3ABN Homecoming

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: HC

Program Code: HC180005A


00:24 Welcome to 3ABN's Fall Camp Meeting,
00:27 Homecoming 2018.
00:32 Featuring inspired messages from your 3ABN family.
00:41 And featured speaker Shelley Quinn.
00:44 All to prepare your heart for the coming of the Lord.
00:49 Hello and welcome once again to 3ABN's Spring Camp Meeting,
00:54 Fall Camp Meeting, that's right, 2018.
00:58 And we praise the Lord
00:59 for every one of you that has come.
01:01 So welcome every one of you that is here
01:04 and every one of you that is joining us
01:05 wherever you are in this world.
01:08 During this hour,
01:10 we have Sister Shelley Quinn with us.
01:13 She works as Program Development Manager
01:16 and Producer at 3ABN.
01:19 And I appreciate, one of the things I appreciate
01:22 about Sister Shelley Quinn is that,
01:25 she preaches with conviction,
01:29 compassion and also depending on the Holy Spirit.
01:34 So she will be out very soon
01:36 to bring the message to us entitled
01:39 "His presence in the cube."
01:42 His presence in the cube.
01:45 And I am happy to share with you
01:47 that we also have Brother Tim Parton,
01:49 he will be coming out to play the piano,
01:52 and Pastor Ryan Day will be
01:55 also singing a beautiful hymn
01:58 that will prepare our hearts for the message
02:02 we are going to hear.
02:03 The title of the song is,
02:05 "I stand in all of you."
02:09 So if you're ready for God's blessing,
02:11 let's hear the message and song,
02:13 and then we will hear the message
02:15 and the preaching of God's Word through Sister Shelley Quinn
02:18 right after this beautiful hymn.
02:20 May God bless every one of you.
02:34 You are beautiful beyond description
02:41 Too marvelous for words
02:47 Too wonderful for comprehension
02:54 Like nothing ever seen or heard
03:00 Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?
03:07 Who can fathom the depths of Your love?
03:14 You are beautiful beyond description
03:20 Majesty, enthroned above
03:28 And I stand
03:31 I stand in awe of You
03:36 I stand
03:38 I stand in awe of You
03:43 Holy God to whom all praise is due
03:51 I stand in awe of You
04:04 You are beautiful beyond description
04:11 Yet God crushed You for my sin
04:18 In agony and deep affliction
04:25 Cut off that I may enter in
04:31 Who can grasp such tender compassion?
04:38 Who can fathom this mercy so free?
04:45 You are beautiful beyond description
04:51 Lamb of God who died for me
04:59 And I stand
05:01 I stand in awe of You
05:07 I stand I stand in awe of You
05:13 Holy God to whom all praise is due
05:21 I stand in awe of You
05:28 And I stand
05:30 I stand in awe of You
05:35 I stand
05:37 I stand in awe of You
05:42 Holy God to whom
05:46 all praise is due
05:50 I stand in awe
05:54 Of You
06:01 I stand
06:05 In awe
06:09 Of You
06:24 Thank you, Ryan and Tim, for ushering us
06:27 into the presence of the Lord.
06:29 These gentlemen learn that song
06:31 and my request it's one of my favorite worship songs.
06:35 And I thought it was so appropriate
06:38 for today's topic.
06:39 Let's pray.
06:41 Heavenly Father, we do stand in awe of You,
06:44 You are too great for our human minds to understand,
06:50 but Father I really believe You've directed me
06:54 to teach on this topic today.
06:58 And I thank you for leading me through a new study of this.
07:02 And I just ask, Father, help me to share
07:07 what You've directed in a way, in a manner
07:12 that can have an impact on our lives.
07:15 In Jesus' name,
07:16 let Your Holy Spirit be our teacher, amen.
07:21 Do you realize God created us with mathematical minds?
07:26 Math is a science, but it is also a language
07:31 that astrophysicists and astronomers
07:35 used to try to understand,
07:38 and to describe His great universe.
07:41 You use math daily.
07:43 You use math to count, to tell the time.
07:46 You use math to measure,
07:49 to shop those 50% off sales.
07:52 You use math to bank to pay your bills
07:57 and even to operate your vehicle.
07:59 If you have a car that gets 30 miles to the gallon
08:02 and you buy 2 gallons of gas, how far can you go?
08:06 Amen, 60 miles.
08:08 I knew you look like a smart audience.
08:11 So I need you to help me
08:13 with a very simple math equation.
08:15 If I have one here, and one here, and one here,
08:21 what does that equal?
08:22 Three. Absolutely.
08:23 Three is the correct answer.
08:25 If we assume addition is the right formula.
08:30 The Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:4,
08:34 "Here, oh Israel,
08:36 the Lord our God, the Lord is one."
08:39 That is a major tenet of Judaism,
08:43 they are monotheistic, they believe in one God.
08:46 It is a major tenet of Christianity as well.
08:51 Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4,
08:54 when someone asked Him,
08:57 "What is the greatest commandment?"
08:59 And it's recorded in Mark 12:28, 29.
09:04 Paul describes God as one God.
09:09 And we know that in Deuteronomy 6:4,
09:12 when it says, "The Lord is one."
09:15 The Hebrew word for one is echadh.
09:19 And it means a compound unity.
09:24 God is one,
09:27 but He is made up of more than one.
09:32 When we think about,
09:35 I believe and I hope to show you today,
09:38 that the Bible teaches God, the Father, Son,
09:42 and Holy Spirit equal one.
09:45 Now some people push back on that idea
09:48 because their mathematical mind has a hard time realizing
09:53 how three can be one.
09:55 So I asked God for an illustration.
09:59 And no sooner had I prayed that,
10:03 then He gave me an epiphany.
10:06 It is something I have never heard before,
10:09 and I have shared this with people
10:11 who've been in ministry longer than I,
10:14 and they've never heard it before either.
10:17 What this is, is we need to change
10:23 our mathematical assumptions.
10:26 It is not addition
10:28 because one plus, one plus, one,
10:30 the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
10:34 One plus, one plus one equals three.
10:37 The formula
10:39 for our triune God is on the screen.
10:44 It is one times one,
10:48 times one, which equals one,
10:53 one to the third power.
10:57 The Father, Son, and Spirit,
11:00 the three persons of the Godhead
11:02 are of equal essence,
11:04 they have the exact same nature.
11:07 Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."
11:10 He said, "Believe me that I am in the Father,
11:13 and the Father is in me."
11:15 And then He called the Holy Spirit,
11:18 the Spirit of your Father.
11:21 Paul called Jesus the great God and Savior.
11:25 And Paul equates
11:27 the Holy Spirit to the Spirit of Christ.
11:30 They are all of the same essence.
11:33 One times, one times, one equals one.
11:37 But they are also the divine nature
11:40 is an indivisible essence.
11:44 One divided by one,
11:47 divided by one, equals one.
11:50 One is the perfect number to represent the Godhead.
11:55 One is the only number
11:57 that can be multiplied by itself,
12:00 and divided by itself,
12:03 and still equal the original number.
12:07 To the Hebrew mind,
12:09 harmony was achieved by exact equality
12:15 or by repetition of like dimensions.
12:20 So they saw harmony in a square
12:23 and perfect harmony in a cube.
12:27 When you in math, take a number
12:30 and multiply itself by itself,
12:35 say for example two times two, that number is the square.
12:41 If you multiply a number by itself twice,
12:45 two times, two times two,
12:48 that number is a cube.
12:52 One is the only number that can be cubed
12:57 and still have the same value, the original number.
13:03 One times, one times one equals one cubed.
13:09 Each time a cube is mentioned in scripture,
13:13 it is a place where God dwells.
13:17 And I believe that what God is showing us
13:21 in the cube is His invisible attribute
13:25 of one times, one times one.
13:28 In Romans 1:20 on the screen,
13:32 Paul here is writing, referring to nature.
13:34 But He says,
13:35 "For since the creation of the world,
13:37 His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
13:40 being understood by the things that are made,
13:43 even His eternal power and Godhead."
13:46 Well, God instructed other things to be made.
13:51 And I believe it is to show His invisible attributes.
13:55 God told Moses on the mountain.
13:59 Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell with them.
14:02 That is the heart of our loving God.
14:05 He wants to dwell with His people.
14:08 And then, He gave Moses the exact dimensions,
14:13 He gave him exact instructions, how to build this sanctuary.
14:18 And it was theology in a physical form,
14:23 it explained the plan of salvation.
14:27 The Holy of Holies which was the inner sanctuary,
14:32 it was the most sacred place of the sanctuary.
14:36 This was where God's Shekinah Glory
14:39 would come down and rest on the Ark of the Covenant,
14:43 it was symbolic of His throne room.
14:46 The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube.
14:50 And in 1 Kings 6:20,
14:53 we see that the Holy of Holies,
14:57 the design was duplicated by Solomon in the temple.
15:01 On the screen, 1 Kings 6:20 says,
15:05 "The inner sanctuary,
15:07 the Holy of Holies was twenty cubits long,
15:10 twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high."
15:15 A perfect cube.
15:16 Now to the Hebrew mind,
15:18 a cube was the symbol of perfection
15:21 because it was square on every side,
15:24 and all sides and angles corresponded
15:27 exactly with each other.
15:29 This indicated to them that the Holy One of Israel
15:33 dwelt in perfection.
15:36 God's presence was in the cube.
15:40 What else is a cube in Scripture?
15:44 The New Jerusalem
15:46 that will be the most holy place on earth
15:50 where God will dwell throughout eternity,
15:52 and where all will come in and see His face,
15:55 and experience face to face fellowship with Him.
15:59 In Revelation 21:16,
16:03 this describes the New Jerusalem on the screen.
16:08 "The city is laid out as the square,
16:10 its length is as great as its breath.
16:12 And he measured the city with the reed:
16:14 twelve thousand furlongs.
16:16 Its length, and breadth, and height are equal."
16:21 The New Jerusalem is a perfect cube.
16:24 God's presence is in the cube.
16:28 Even the perfect unselfish love of God
16:32 is described in cubular language.
16:35 Paul told the Ephesians, that he prayed
16:38 that all of the saints would be able to comprehend the width,
16:43 and the length, the depth and the height,
16:45 depth and height, they're of the same dimension.
16:48 But the width, the length, the depth and the height
16:51 of the love of Christ which passes knowledge,
16:55 the Lord our God is one, one times,
16:58 one times one equals one divine being.
17:02 And His presence is in the cube.
17:06 Only one true God, a single divine person...
17:10 Excuse me, a single divine being,
17:14 but the Bible never says a single person.
17:18 Scripture clearly describes God as existing
17:24 in a unique plurality
17:27 of three divine persons who cooperate
17:30 and are in agreement about everything,
17:32 they share the nature of the Godhead,
17:34 they share His personality, His character,
17:38 and the divine attributes of deity.
17:42 Now I have to say this.
17:44 Our triune God is totally unlike anything in our world.
17:50 He is greater than anything that we can comprehend.
17:55 We know and believe,
17:56 and I think you will all agree that God is love,
17:59 that is the essence of His divine nature.
18:02 He is a relational God.
18:04 And in the next 39 minutes,
18:06 we're going to consider a few other things
18:09 that God says about His nature.
18:13 But I am approaching this topic with humility and caution,
18:18 we are on holy ground,
18:20 it is beyond comprehension for the finite human mind
18:24 to understand the nature of God.
18:28 So we don't want to go beyond Scripture,
18:32 we're going to stick to Scripture.
18:33 I started off, I did a study of 150 pages is my notes.
18:38 And then I had to reduce that to 16,
18:40 and I still have too much.
18:42 But I wanted to make sure for myself
18:45 because sometimes you believe something
18:47 and I just wanted to double check.
18:49 But Scripture clearly determines,
18:52 God is self existent, unchangeable, eternal,
18:56 omnipresent, omniscience, omnipotent,
18:59 and incomprehensible.
19:01 Jesus said in John 4:24,
19:03 "That God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
19:08 must worship in Spirit and in truth."
19:11 And Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:17,
19:15 "God is the king, eternal,
19:19 immortal, and invisible."
19:22 And then again in 1 Timothy in 6:16 he says,
19:26 "God alone has immortality
19:29 who lives, who dwells in an unapproachable life,
19:34 no man has seen Him or can't see Him."
19:36 God is Spirit.
19:38 He is distinct from any material substance.
19:41 He is transcendent.
19:43 He is not subject to the limitations
19:47 of our material universe, yet Scripture is clear.
19:52 As a Spirit, God is not
19:55 a mere impersonal force.
19:59 God interacts with His created beings
20:02 in an intimate and personal manner.
20:05 Now the Bible speaks of God
20:08 in terms of the activities of mankind,
20:11 of walking, sitting, hearing, or seeing.
20:15 But there is a sense
20:17 in which God is not like humanity at all.
20:20 He does not have a physical body like us,
20:23 yet he is a person.
20:25 He is a living entity,
20:27 endeavored with personal properties
20:29 of understanding will and emotion.
20:31 And it is not inaccurate to call God person.
20:35 In the Greek, prosopon is used,
20:40 it translated person, presence, face, countenance,
20:45 and it is used of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
20:49 Let's look to the screen for Genesis 1:26 and 27.
20:54 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image,
21:00 according to our likeness,"
21:03 here we see God speaking of Himself
21:05 with plural pronouns,
21:07 this expresses communication among the divine beings.
21:12 And then he says,
21:14 "Let them have dominion over the earth.
21:16 So God created man in His own image,
21:18 in the image of God He created the male and female,
21:21 He created them."
21:23 Scripture is not specific
21:25 as what, to what constitutes the image of God.
21:29 In context, the creation of animals and mankind
21:33 were separate acts, we did not evolve from an ape.
21:37 Male and female were created with moral, mental,
21:41 and spiritual capacity to have fellowship with God.
21:45 He walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening,
21:48 in the garden.
21:50 We were created with intelligence
21:53 to exercise free will.
21:54 What a great gift.
21:56 And to have dominion over the earth
21:58 and to procreate.
22:01 But man's fall into sin marred God's image in us.
22:07 1 Corinthians 15,
22:10 just jot that down, but don't turn there.
22:13 We don't have time.
22:15 Paul writes,
22:16 "We have borne the image of the man of dust,
22:21 the first Adam."
22:23 But then He gives us hope.
22:24 "We shall also bear the image of the heavenly man,
22:29 the last Adam."
22:31 At the last trumpet,
22:33 when the redeemed are called forth,
22:36 and put on immortality.
22:38 Let me tell you something,
22:40 the reason I am a Seventh-day Adventist Christian
22:44 is because I believe this church teaches
22:47 more Bible truths than any other.
22:49 And if I found a church that taught more,
22:52 I would join it.
22:53 Our pioneers came from many different denominations,
22:58 many different beliefs,
23:00 but I admire them, that as they got together,
23:04 and they had to consolidate these beliefs.
23:07 They did so through deep study of the Scripture.
23:12 It was a progressive study and often a corrective study.
23:17 They had to accept new truths to them,
23:20 like the Sabbath, diet, righteousness by faith.
23:23 But they also had to release spiritual err,
23:28 like date setting or the closed door policy
23:32 or in my absolute
23:36 strong opinion Semitearianism.
23:40 You see, they were the perfect example
23:42 of Proverbs 4:18.
23:44 The Bible says,
23:45 "The path of the righteous will shine ever brighter
23:50 to the full light of day."
23:53 Our church has 28 fundamental beliefs
23:56 and what I love is that the Bible alone is our creed.
24:01 The second of our 28 fundamental beliefs
24:05 is on the trinity.
24:06 And here's what it states,
24:09 "There is one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
24:13 a unity of three co-eternal persons."
24:18 See, I am a monotheistic Trinitarian.
24:22 I believe in one divine being,
24:25 who consist of three divine persons.
24:28 Now the word trinity is not in the Bible,
24:33 neither is monotheism, neither is incarnation.
24:37 These are words that we have adopted
24:40 to explain what the Bible teaches.
24:43 Why do we believe in the trinity?
24:45 There are over 50 scriptures, triadic scriptures
24:51 that mention the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
24:54 I think that is sufficient proof
24:56 to support our doctrine.
24:58 Now the teaching on the Father
25:00 is generally unanimously accepted.
25:04 So I want to begin with Jesus Christ.
25:07 In Philippians 2:5-7,
25:10 this will be on the screen for you.
25:12 Paul writes, "Let this mind be in you
25:15 which was also in Christ Jesus,
25:17 who, being in the form of God," and in the Greek
25:20 that's literally existing in the form of God,
25:23 He possess the essential attributes,
25:26 "did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, "
25:31 because He was,
25:32 "but He made Himself of no reputation,
25:34 taking the form of a bondservant,
25:36 coming in the likeness of men."
25:38 Christ in His pre-incarnate state,
25:43 God of Spirit, Christ was a spiritual being,
25:46 equal to the Father and the Spirit.
25:48 He possessed all the qualities of God.
25:52 He has always been God, and His love for humanity,
25:56 He did not consider that majesty, that equality,
26:02 something to hold on to.
26:04 No, He emptied Himself, not of His divine nature,
26:08 but of His environment of glory.
26:12 And the pre-incarnate Christ came to earth
26:16 as the eternal Son of God.
26:19 In the beginning was the Word of God,
26:22 the Word was with God, the Word was God.
26:24 Eternal God became the last Adam,
26:28 the only begotten Son of God.
26:31 Do you know what only begotten means?
26:34 It actually means unique.
26:37 One of a kind. In
26:39 Hebrews 11, Isaac is referred to
26:43 as the only begotten son of Abraham.
26:46 Oh, wait a minute, Abraham had Ishmael first,
26:50 that was his biological son, then he had many other sons.
26:54 Yet the Bible calls Ishmael, Isaac,
26:58 let's see if I can confuse you.
27:00 The Bible calls Isaac, the only begotten son
27:06 because Isaac was unique to God's promise.
27:10 The Gospel of Luke refers to Adam
27:14 as the son of God.
27:16 When the King of kings and Lord of lords
27:18 took humanity upon Himself, in the limitation of humanity,
27:23 He became the last Adam.
27:27 And He came to earth in
27:30 as the only begotten Son of God,
27:33 the unique covenant Son of promise,
27:36 for temporary subordinate role to the Father.
27:40 In Colossians 1:17, Paul writes,
27:43 "He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."
27:49 Jesus said, "Before Abraham was I am."
27:53 He said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega,
27:56 the first and the last."
27:58 And in Colossians 2:9,
28:00 Paul says, "In Him, in Christ dwells
28:04 all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
28:07 Christ has always possessed all the attributes of God,
28:12 just as I believe does the Holy Spirit.
28:15 In the Old Testament, two advents were promised,
28:20 the advent of our Messiah Savior,
28:25 and the advent of the Holy Spirit.
28:28 Now we have to understand,
28:31 the Bible is a progressive
28:34 self revelation of God.
28:38 Theological concepts that are introduced
28:41 in the Old Testament are more fully developed
28:46 in the New Testament.
28:48 Both the Messiah and the Holy Spirit
28:52 were promised and introduced in the Old Testament and both,
28:57 the theological concept
28:59 is more fully developed in the new.
29:01 Now in our limited time,
29:02 I can't consider the Holy Spirit's activity
29:05 in the process of salvation.
29:07 I simply want to establish from Scripture,
29:10 that he is a person and a person of the Godhead.
29:15 Now I'm defining person as an individual
29:20 of conscious intelligent existence
29:24 who is not an animal.
29:25 For example, we think of the Angel Gabriel,
29:30 who is a ministering Spirit, as a person.
29:33 We think of Satan, who is an evil spirit,
29:38 as a person.
29:39 And Jesus said, "God is Spirit."
29:42 We certainly consider Him as a person.
29:45 The Holy Spirit is not
29:47 a mere influencing emanation of virtual power.
29:52 He is a conscious intelligent person.
29:55 Some professed Christians flatly deny
29:58 the Holy Spirit is a person.
29:59 And one of the things I've heard,
30:02 you know, in the Greek, the word for Spirit is pneuma.
30:05 And it can also mean breath and wind.
30:08 So to suggest that the Holy Spirit
30:11 is just the breath of God and emanating virtue of power.
30:16 What anti-Trinitarians do is that they point to John 3:38
30:20 where Jesus said,
30:21 "The wind blows where it wishes."
30:23 You can hear it, you can't tell where it comes from
30:26 or where it goes,
30:28 so is everyone born of the Spirit.
30:30 This does not disprove
30:33 the personhood of the Holy Spirit.
30:36 It simply expresses a motive operation
30:40 like Jesus said, "I am the gate.
30:41 I am divine. I am the door. I am the bread of life."
30:46 It is a mode of operation.
30:48 Now some consider the Holy Spirit
30:50 an energy force from God
30:52 because He was, Acts says He was poured out
30:56 that He was shed a blood.
30:57 But the same language is used of the Messiah
31:01 in Isaiah 53:12.
31:04 It says, "He poured out His soul unto death."
31:09 See, the word poured out in the Hebrew
31:12 literally means to expose or make naked.
31:16 This was a metaphor that the Messiah
31:19 fully exposed Himself
31:22 to the naked reality of death on our behalf.
31:25 The Holy Spirit poured out His figurative language,
31:30 it is a metaphor of Him descending.
31:34 When water is poured out, it descends,
31:37 the Holy Spirit descended from heaven to earth.
31:40 I believe that the public advent
31:43 of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
31:45 was second in importance only to the incarnation
31:51 of our Lord at the advent of Jesus Christ.
31:55 He became incarnate, Jesus became flesh,
31:59 so that He could become the last Adam,
32:03 so that He could get it right, as humanity's representative
32:08 to get it right, to be faithful to God,
32:11 and also to be our substitutionary sacrifice
32:14 on the cross for our sins.
32:17 Or the advent of the Holy Spirit
32:20 was also for incarnation that He would live,
32:26 dwell in Christ redeemed, for the purpose of ushering
32:30 and in ministering the new covenant.
32:33 The same Holy Spirit
32:35 who had been active among the people
32:37 from the beginning of time.
32:39 You'll probably remember in Genesis 6:3,
32:42 Jesus or God says,
32:44 "My Spirit will not strive with man forever."
32:49 The Holy Spirit has always been with us.
32:52 But the spirit who had led the disciples
32:55 working alongside them in companion ministry
32:58 would now be dwelling inside them.
33:01 After Pentecost,
33:03 He came to live in all believers
33:06 because that is God's great desire
33:09 is to be with His people.
33:11 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul says,
33:13 "Do you not know that you are the temple of God
33:18 and that the Holy Spirit dwells in you."
33:21 This demonstrates how personal and relational our God is.
33:26 Now some believe that the Holy Spirit is Jesus.
33:31 And Jesus expressly disclaims that.
33:34 Let's look at John 14.
33:37 We're going to actually consider 6:16-18.
33:41 But let's focus on John 14:16.
33:44 Jesus said, "I will pray the Father,
33:46 and He will give you another..."
33:49 Now that's a significant word, we'll come back to it.
33:52 "Another helper," in the Greek it is allos paracletos,
33:58 "that He," this other helper, "may abide with you forever."
34:03 A paracletos is a person, there is not one English word
34:09 that can translate that.
34:10 A paracletos was an advocate, a legal assistant,
34:14 who defended someone's cause.
34:16 He was an intercessor, a counselor,
34:19 a comforter, a helper.
34:21 In His earthly ministry,
34:23 Jesus was our paracletos on earth.
34:26 But He returned to the Father, to prepare a place for us.
34:30 And after making the atonement for sin,
34:33 Christ became our paracletos in heaven.
34:36 In 1 John 2:1, John says, "If any one sins,
34:41 we have an advocate, in the Greek,
34:43 a paracletos with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous."
34:48 So taking his absence from earth,
34:50 Jesus said, "He would send
34:53 another paracletos."
34:57 Another is significant because in the Greek
35:00 there are two words for another.
35:04 Heteros is another of a different kind.
35:09 Allos is another of the same kind.
35:13 Jesus used allos, allos paracletos,
35:18 another of a like kind.
35:20 Jesus was saying,
35:22 "I am sending one who is just like Me."
35:27 The Holy Spirit has the same character as Christ.
35:32 He is God, no comparison could be made
35:35 between a person and a mere Jesus Christ too
35:38 as a person in a mere abstract influence.
35:42 So Christ was signifying that the Holy Spirit
35:44 would take His own place as God's advocate
35:48 with humanity on earth to take up
35:51 where Jesus' earthly ministry left off.
35:54 He would teach and comfort us,
35:56 advice and defend, and intercede for us.
35:59 So now let's continue with verse 17, John 14:17.
36:04 Christ Identifies this allos paracletos as,
36:09 "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
36:14 because it neither sees Him nor knows Him,
36:16 but you know Him,
36:18 for He dwells with you and will be in you.
36:21 I will not leave you as orphans,
36:23 I will come to you."
36:25 What did Jesus mean,
36:26 I will not leave you as orphans?
36:29 What does that promise mean?
36:30 Within context,
36:32 He is referring to the advent of the Holy Spirit
36:34 at Pentecost.
36:35 When the Holy Spirit dwells in you,
36:39 the Father and the Son dwell in you by faith,
36:43 because the three are one.
36:46 Look at Ephesians 3:16,
36:49 Ephesians 3:16, it will be on the screen.
36:52 Paul praise, "That god would grant you,
36:54 according to the riches of His glory,
36:56 to be strengthened with might through His Spirit, "
36:59 His Holy Spirit, "in the inner man,
37:02 that Christ may dwell in your hearts," how?
37:05 "Through faith,
37:07 that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
37:09 may be able to comprehend with all the saints
37:11 what is the width and length and depth and height
37:13 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge,
37:17 that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
37:20 In John 14:23, Jesus made another promise.
37:25 He says, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word,
37:30 and My Father will love him, and We will come to him
37:35 and make Our home with him."
37:37 Where the Holy Spirit dwells, the Father and the Son
37:41 dwell by faith.
37:42 They are equal one times, one times one equals one.
37:46 I believe the Word of God unequivocally teaches
37:49 that the Holy Spirit is as much a conscious intelligent person
37:53 as the Father and the Son.
37:55 All elements that constitute personhood and deity
37:59 are ascribed to and found in the Holy Spirit.
38:02 We're going to look at five points from Scripture
38:06 that show He is the person, He's endowed with wisdom,
38:09 understanding, and a will, he's endowed with emotions,
38:12 with speech and a mind that formulates thought,
38:15 He intercedes, Christ intercedes,
38:17 He teaches and bears witness.
38:19 Then if we have time, we will look at five points
38:21 that show His deity that He is holy eternal,
38:25 omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.
38:29 So point number one, as Christ...
38:33 Excuse me.
38:36 As a person the Holy Spirit is endowed with wisdom,
38:41 understanding, and a will.
38:43 Look at 1 Corinthians 2:10 and 11.
38:47 It says, "God revealed them to us through His Spirit.
38:51 For the Spirit searches," that's an act of understanding,
38:55 "the Spirit searches all things,
38:57 yes, the deep things of God.
38:58 For what man knows the things of a man
39:01 except the spirit of the man which is in him?"
39:03 Now here in the Greek, this is the self consciousness
39:06 that resides in a man or a woman,
39:08 "Even so no one knows the things of God
39:11 except the Spirit of God."
39:13 That is a totally different Greek construction.
39:16 It is not merely the self-consciousness of God,
39:19 but the personal Holy Spirit
39:21 in His relation to God, the Father."
39:24 Then in 1 Corinthians 12:11,
39:27 Paul speaking of spiritual gifts
39:29 given by God.
39:31 And 1 Corinthians 12:11 says this,
39:33 "But one and the same Spirit works all these things,
39:36 distributing to each one individually
39:41 as He wills."
39:43 The Holy Spirit is endowed with a will,
39:49 He operates with divine prerogative.
39:52 Paul's language would be meaningless if the Spirit
39:56 were only an influencing energy.
39:59 Now open your Bibles if you have them please
40:02 to Acts 13.
40:05 Acts follows Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
40:08 Acts is the history of the first 30 years
40:12 of the early church.
40:13 We're going to read three scriptures
40:15 to prove His divine prerogative.
40:19 Acts Chapter 13, let's look at verse 2.
40:23 We'll see the Holy Spirit chose church leaders,
40:26 He commanded and exercised authority.
40:29 Acts 13:2, "As they ministered to the Lord invested,
40:33 the Holy Spirit said,"
40:35 now you've got to be able to speak to say something,
40:37 and here's what the Holy Spirit said,
40:39 "Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work
40:43 to which I have called them."
40:46 Now flip over to Acts 15.
40:49 Acts 15, look at verse 28 because the Holy Spirit
40:54 lead in church decisions.
40:56 Acts 15:28, James says,
40:59 "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit
41:01 and to us to lay upon you, no greater burden
41:05 than these necessary things."
41:08 So now flip to Acts 16.
41:11 Acts 16:6.
41:14 The Holy Spirit led in the directing
41:17 of where the gospel would be preached.
41:20 Act 16:6.
41:22 "Now when they gone through Phrygia
41:23 and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by," whom?
41:28 "They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit
41:30 to preach the word in Asia.
41:33 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia,
41:37 but the Spirit did not permit them."
41:42 So keep your finger there in Acts
41:44 'cause we're going to come back there.
41:45 Point number two, as a person
41:48 the Holy Spirit is endowed with emotions.
41:53 So we'll look to the screen for the next three scriptures.
41:56 Romans 15:30, Paul says, "Now I beg you, brethren,
42:00 through the Lord Jesus Christ,
42:02 and through the love of the Spirit,
42:07 that you strive together with me
42:09 in prayers to God for me.
42:11 The Spirit loves."
42:14 Ephesians 4:30,
42:17 Paul writes, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
42:23 by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
42:27 Only a person can be grieved.
42:31 Then in Hebrews 10:29,
42:34 it is written,
42:36 "Of how much worse punishment do you suppose,
42:38 will be thought worthy,
42:40 who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
42:44 counted the blood of the covenant
42:45 by which he was sanctified a common thing,
42:48 and insulted the Spirit of grace?"
42:52 Only a person can be insulted.
42:56 So now you've got your finger next,
42:58 let's turn to Acts Chapter 5.
43:01 We have seen the Holy Spirit loves,
43:03 He grieves, he can be insulted.
43:06 Acts 5:3. Acts 5:3.
43:11 "Peter said, 'Ananias, why is Satan filled your heart
43:16 to lie to the Holy Spirit.' "
43:18 Only a person can be lied to.
43:20 you got to hear to receive testimony
43:23 and keep back part of the price of the lamb for yourself.
43:26 While it remained, was it not your own,
43:27 and after it was sold.
43:29 Was it not in your own control?
43:32 Why have you conceive this thing in your heart?
43:35 You have not lied?
43:38 Who did He lied to?
43:40 The Holy Spirit.
43:41 You have not lied to men, but to God.
43:46 So if lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God,
43:51 the Spirit must be God.
43:53 Now jump down to verse 9.
43:56 Peter's now talking to...
43:58 This is Acts 5:9,
44:00 "Peter's talking to Sapphira and he says to her,
44:04 'How is it that you've agreed to test to tempt
44:08 the Spirit of the Lord?
44:09 Only a person can be tempted.' "
44:12 Now on the screen, Mark 3:28-30.
44:18 This is a sobering passage.
44:21 Jesus is speaking and He says, "Assuredly I say to you,
44:24 all sins will be forgiven, the sins of men,
44:27 and whatever blasphemies they may utter,
44:29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
44:32 never has forgiveness,
44:34 but is subject to eternalcondemnation..."
44:37 Verse 30 explains why he said this
44:40 because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."
44:44 An unclean spirit was a fallen angel,
44:46 a demonic spirit, a person.
44:49 So this is clear proof that the Holy Spirit's a person.
44:53 If he weren't a person,
44:54 no comparative opposition could be made
44:57 between Him and an unclean spirit.
45:00 But it is more,
45:02 it is clear proof that the Holy Spirit is God
45:08 because only God can be blasphemed.
45:13 Now point number three,
45:15 as the person the Holy Spirit is endowed with speech
45:19 and a mind that can formulate thoughts.
45:21 Turn quickly to Acts Chapter 8.
45:24 Hope you've still got your finger there.
45:26 We're going to look at a few of the many, many examples
45:31 that attribute speech to the Holy Spirit.
45:36 Acts 8:29,
45:39 "Then the Spirit said to Philip, "
45:43 here's a quote of the Spirit,
45:45 "Go near, and overtake this chariot."
45:49 The Spirit was directing Philip.
45:52 Flip over to Acts 10.
45:54 Acts 10 will say he speaks to Peter
45:59 in verse 19 and 20.
46:00 While, Peter...
46:02 Acts 10:19,
46:04 "While Peter thought about the vision,
46:06 the Spirit said to him,
46:11 'Behold, three men are seeking you.
46:13 Arise therefore, go down, and go with him,
46:17 doubting nothing for I have sent them.' "
46:21 Only a person,
46:24 a person of the Godhead can speak
46:27 and exercise divine prerogative.
46:32 In 1 Timothy 4:1 on the screen.
46:36 It says, "Now the Spirit expressly says, "
46:39 he's not vague in his speech,
46:41 "that in latter times
46:43 some will depart from the faith,
46:46 giving heed to deceiving spirits
46:49 and doctrines of demons."
46:52 The Holy Spirit in clear words warns us
46:56 that apostasy would be caused by evil spirits.
46:59 Now I want you just to listen to this,
47:02 it won't be on the screen.
47:04 But this is an Old Testament text.
47:07 It comes from Isaiah 63:10.
47:11 And it says,
47:12 "They rebelled
47:14 and grieved His Holy Spirit.
47:19 So he, the Spirit,
47:21 turned himself against them as an enemy
47:23 and he fought against them."
47:26 Now let's look at Hebrews 3:7 on the screen
47:30 because these two tie in together.
47:34 Hebrews 3:7,
47:35 "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
47:39 'Today, if you will hear His voice,
47:40 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
47:42 In the day of the trial in the wilderness,
47:45 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
47:50 and saw My works for forty years."
47:52 See how those two dovetailed together.
47:56 This is a quote from Psalm 95, where God is speaking.
48:01 And it is attributed
48:04 to the speech of the Holy Spirit.
48:06 Point number four, the Holy Spirit intercedes,
48:10 the Holy Spirit intercedes.
48:13 "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.
48:16 For we do not know
48:17 what we should pray for as we ought,
48:19 but the Spirit Himself..."
48:21 Now in the King James Version,
48:23 it says the Spirit itself.
48:25 "But the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us
48:29 with groanings which cannot be uttered."
48:32 Christ intercession to the Father
48:34 proved that He was a person distinct from the Father.
48:38 The same for the Holy Spirit, his intercession proves,
48:42 he is distinct personhood.
48:44 Now there is much fuss about the King James Version
48:49 and the translator saying, "The Spirit itself..."
48:53 Let me tell you something,
48:54 in the Greek that is grammatically correct.
48:57 Spirit is neuter gender.
49:00 But other translators came along
49:03 and they changed it to the Spirit Himself
49:06 because every time
49:08 Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit,
49:12 He used the emphatic male personal pronouns,
49:18 He, Him, or Himself
49:21 when referring to the Holy Spirit.
49:24 I believe it is a grave error to use it or itself
49:29 when referring to the Holy Spirit,
49:30 even though it's grammatically correct
49:33 because Spirit is neuter gender.
49:36 But we wouldn't say, "God is Spirit, "
49:40 and when you worship it, worship in Spirit and truth
49:44 because we know
49:48 that God is a person.
49:51 Under our next point,
49:52 we're going to look at two scriptures.
49:53 The first one says, "Jesus says,
49:55 'The Father will send the Spirit.' "
49:57 The second one, He says, "I will send the Spirit."
50:00 There is no contradiction in this
50:02 because they always act in concert.
50:05 So point number five, the Holy Spirit teaches
50:10 and bears witness.
50:11 John 14:26.
50:14 John 14:26, "But the helper,
50:18 the paracletos, the Holy Spirit
50:21 whom the Father will send in My name, He,"
50:26 Jesus is using that personal male pronoun,
50:29 "will teach you all things."
50:31 In other words, He's all knowing,
50:33 He's omniscient.
50:34 "He will bring to your remembrance
50:35 all things that I said to you."
50:37 He teaches both the new and the old.
50:40 Christ constantly used he and him
50:44 in referring to the Holy Spirit.
50:47 Let me ask you, do you think
50:50 our Savior would have employed language
50:54 that would confuse His disciples?
50:58 Would we dare accuse Him of such a frightful error?
51:04 There's no other alternative than to regard the Holy Spirit
51:09 as another person of the Godhead.
51:12 John 15:26, "Jesus says, 'But when the Helper comes,
51:18 whom I shall send you
51:20 from the Father, the Spirit of truth
51:23 who proceeds from the Father, "
51:25 and in the Greek the literal is that He proceeds
51:29 from beside the Father,
51:32 "He, this Holy Spirit, will testify of Me."
51:37 Jesus said about seven times that He would give
51:39 or send the Holy Spirit.
51:41 To me that's additional proof that the Spirit is a person
51:44 or Jesus' language would be useless, it would be senseless.
51:47 He called this the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth.
51:52 His disciples didn't grasp all the truths
51:54 that Jesus tried to teach them while on earth.
51:58 But when the Spirit came, He made it plain to them.
52:02 Spirit guided Bible study is progressive,
52:07 there is a progressive understanding of the truth
52:10 as we are ready to receive it.
52:13 And the Spirit will never teach us anything
52:15 that is not in Scripture.
52:17 In Romans 8:16,
52:20 it says, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit
52:23 that we are children of God."
52:25 Bears witness is a forensic term.
52:29 It denotes that He is supplying evidence,
52:32 legal proof, and only an intelligent being
52:37 could perform this function.
52:39 The Holy Spirit is a person.
52:42 Now Scripture clearly and abundantly shows us
52:48 that the Holy Spirit has the attributes of deity
52:51 that are peculiar to God.
52:55 First the Holy Spirit is imminently holy
52:58 as His name indicates.
53:00 But the Holy Spirit is eternal and attribute
53:03 that is exclusive to God.
53:06 In Hebrews 9:14, it says,
53:09 "How much more shall the blood of Christ,
53:11 who through the eternal Spirit,"
53:14 and remember God can be called eternal,
53:16 "offered Himself without spot to God,
53:19 cleanse your conscience from dead works
53:22 to serve the living God."
53:24 He also...
53:26 Point number eight is omniscient,
53:29 He is all knowing.
53:31 We've already reviewed John 14:26 when Jesus said,
53:34 "He's going to send the Holy Spirit,
53:36 who would teach us all things and bring to our remembrance,
53:41 everything He said."
53:42 Point number nine, He is omnipresent.
53:45 He is everywhere.
53:47 In Psalm 139:7-10,
53:52 we're just going to read 7 and 8.
53:54 He says,
53:55 "Where can I go from Your Spirit?
53:58 Or where can I flee from Your presence?
54:01 If I ascend into heaven, You are there,
54:03 if I make my bed in hell,"
54:05 speaking of the grave,
54:06 "behold, You are there.
54:08 And He is..."
54:10 The tenth point, omnipotent.
54:13 Luke 1:35, "The angel said and said to her,
54:17 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you.
54:19 And the power of the highest will overshadow you.
54:22 Therefore, also the Holy One who is to be born
54:26 will be called the Son of God."
54:29 The Holy Spirit miraculously formed
54:34 the incarnate Christ in Mary,
54:37 and then He anointed Him for ministry.
54:41 Creation is attributed as much to the Holy Spirit
54:44 as it is to the Father and the Son.
54:46 Romans 8:11 says,
54:47 "The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead,
54:51 who but a divine person
54:54 could have accomplished this."
54:58 I believe that the doctrine of the triune God
55:03 is an important matter.
55:06 The Bible plainly teaches
55:09 three divine persons
55:12 equal one divine being.
55:15 This is mysterious to us,
55:19 it is inexplicable to human race.
55:22 And although they were co-eternal, co-essential,
55:26 and co-equal,
55:27 we see a historic submission
55:30 in the history of ministry on earth.
55:33 Christ submitted to the Father's will,
55:36 the Holy Spirit submits to Jesus' authority.
55:40 This is the absolute humility
55:44 of the Godhead.
55:46 There is no competition.
55:49 This is other centered love.
55:52 The advent of the Holy Spirit
55:55 is the fulfillment of divine promises
55:57 in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.
55:59 He came to witness under Christ exaltation
56:03 to take Christ place on earth,
56:05 and to continue and complete the cause of Christ,
56:08 to ignore the Holy Spirit
56:11 as the distinct third person of the Godhead,
56:15 dishonors and grieves Him.
56:18 We're not giving Him the glory do His name.
56:21 He's our helper, our comforter, our teacher, our counselor,
56:26 and our advocate.
56:27 And His great work of salvation is so necessary for us.
56:32 He's the one who sanctifies, exhorts, inspires, and guides.
56:37 I believe the Holy Spirit
56:39 is the third personal power of the Godhead.
56:43 God's presence is in the cube.
56:49 One times one,
56:52 times one equals one,
56:56 one to the power of three.
57:00 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
57:06 one to the power of three.
57:10 My, Brothers and Sisters, I want to encourage you,
57:15 as I did, go back, restudy, make sure that
57:19 what you're holding on to is truth.
57:23 God's presence is in the cube,
57:26 and I don't want you to miss it.
57:29 God bless.


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Revised 2018-11-19