APPRECIATING THE HOLY SPIRIT
G Bruce Grant
Acts 13: 1-4; 16: 6-8
Romans 8: 12-17
1 Corinthians 12: 11
John 13: 34, 35
We spoke in the reading about appreciating Christ. I am thinking now about appreciating the Spirit; I feel for myself I greatly lack in that. It has been said that the Lord is the Man He is because of who He is; there could never have been a Man like the Lord Jesus unless He was in His Person God. He has brought into Manhood all that God is in His nature and His moral attributes: He was a unique Man altogether.
It is also true to say the Spirit is the Servant He is because of who He is. That I find important because it gives me confidence in the Spirit: He is the Servant He is because of who He is. We could only have a Servant like the Holy Spirit because He is, in His Person, God. So I read the first two scriptures just to bring out how the Spirit can act from Himself, because he is God. We read in the previous occasion, “whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak” (John 16: 13): that is absolutely true. The Spirit would never move out of that place He has taken in the economy of love. It is also true He is a divine Person and He can act Himself. There are a number of references in the New Testament where it brings that truth out, for instance in Acts 13. We can see how in the broad scope of the testimony in Acts, the Spirit is in charge. In this scripture, there were good local conditions, and it gave liberty to the Spirit: “And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me now Barnabas and Saul”. That was the Holy Spirit speaking Himself, and He said, “Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”. “Separate me” - the Holy Spirit was selecting these two. Then it goes on to say, “They therefore, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit”: that word “by” means that He was the source of the sending forth, The different Greek words are brought out and explained in note a in Matthew 1: 22. This is one of those instances where the Spirit is the source of the action, and that brings out the glory of His Person. The Spirit was selecting these two persons and they were “sent forth by the Holy Spirit”, not by the company: the Holy Spirit sent them forth. The company had fellowship with them, “having fasted and prayed, and having laid their hands on them, they let them go”. They realised the Spirit’s rights in this matter and I draw attention to these first two scriptures for that reason.
In chapter 16, again, this is “having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit”: there again the Holy Spirit is the source of that action. They were looking for guidance, but then the Holy Spirit forbids them to go in a certain direction; the Holy Spirit in charge of the testimony. The Lord is in charge as well, of course; and it is interesting that it says lower down in verse 10, “concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings”. So the Lord and the Spirit are one in operations; but here it is emphasising the right of the Holy Spirit, because of who He is in His Person, to forbid Paul and Silas. I think it is important to understand that the Holy Spirit has rights because of who He is. He is a Person of the Deity, equal with the Father and the Son, and He can act by Himself. But then, they concluded that the Lord had called them to announce the glad tidings. So, I draw attention to these first two scriptures to bring out that point that the Holy Spirit, because of who He is, can act from Himself.
In Romans 8, I think it is good to have in our affections that the Holy Spirit is the Servant He is because of who He is. Think of His grace coming to dwell in the believer. Here we get light as to the Spirit for those who have the Spirit. The apostle Paul is speaking to us about the Holy Spirit, to give us confidence in this Person. He is able to do according to the light that is presented in this chapter: “So then, brethren, we debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to flesh; for if ye live according to flesh, ye are about to die”; it does not say. ‘but if ye put to death the deeds of the body’; it says, “but if, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body” - that is the actions of the body as in the flesh - “ye shall live”, live Godward. We have to prove the Holy Spirit in an experimental way: this actually works. So “if, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Now, that verse is important: “If, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body”. For this to practically happen I think we need right intentions. I know in chapter 7, I have right intentions, but no power to carry them out, but right intentions are necessary. We cannot say the Spirit will do it for us: you have to have right intentions. We have right desires because of the work of God in us. So, we have confidence in the Spirit, and we seek His power. He is far greater than the flesh. I enjoy that scripture in Galatians, “the Spirit against the flesh” (chap 5: 17), and that is always the case. This is essential for all of us. Then we get “for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God”. We then become leadable by the Spirit of God. It is that great Person we are speaking about, and that Person is God.
It is important to make sure you have the Spirit. “How much rather shall the Father who is of heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”, Luke 11: 13. Now there are millions of believers who have been given the Spirit, without asking. If you believe the glad tidings and repent, God delights to give the Holy Spirit, but if you are not sure, ask. It is essential to have the gift of the Holy Spirit. You are to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that is an evidence of appreciating that Person. As we prove the Spirit experimentally it increases our appreciation of that Person. What a lowly service, prepared to come in and dwell in the believer.
Then you get, “as many as are led by the Spirit of God”. The Spirit of God delights to serve in that way, to lead us because we are now leadable: “these are sons of God”. How would He lead us? “But ye have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” What a wonderful thing that is: it is a very blessed thing, these intimate relations, by the Spirit, with the Father. Any time of day or night you can be in the enjoyment of sonship in your relationships with the Father. Experience it for yourselves. These things are to be experienced in the power of the Spirit. Does not that cause us to appreciate this Person who in dwells us? “A spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father”. These things are the essence of Christianity, appreciating Christ and appreciating the Spirit, and the Spirit would always cause us to increase our appreciation of that glorious Man, where He is. He is also serving us so that we might enjoy this relationship with the Father and, more than that, know the Spirit’s service collectively in relation to serving the Father. How the Holy Spirit serves other divine Persons. What this must mean to the Father to have persons who, in affection, are responsive to Himself, reminding Him of His own beloved Son. This is the great height of our blessing, this relationship with the Father. Experience this, dear young believer. Have you got the Spirit? Have you proved it in an experimental way? Having these right intentions, then the Spirit gives us power for the right intentions.
“The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God”. That is the normal service of the Holy Spirit. Have that joy in your hearts, that we are of the divine family. We are cared for by the Father; He has that interest in us as His children. It is a joy to our hearts to have this intimate relation with the Father and say, “Father” to the Father. How close that is! The Spirit is the power for that so, “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit.” I say it again, that depends on: “put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” It gives the Spirit that liberty to bear “witness with our spirit.” We know that inwardly; we are not dependent on the text of scripture to know we are children of God or sons of God: we know it experimentally. The children of God are here in an adverse scene to uphold the truth as to God. That has been the issue right from when Satan, the serpent, put into Eve the lie as to God. The testimony has been as to the truth as to God, and Christ has come here to fully make that known, and His children are here to uphold the truth as to God, to represent God in His moral features; John in his epistle brings that out. And we are here also in the care of God: therefore, if that is the case, where Satan, the god of this world, is deceiving men all the time and we are holding the truth as to God as children of God, we are bound to meet opposition and suffering and reproach. So “if indeed we suffer with him” we will “also be glorified with Him”, reign with Him; we will be heirs with Him. The Lord is waiting the Father’s time: He will ask the Father for His inheritance and the Father will give it: He is waiting that time, and we will be heirs, joint heirs with Him. But now is the time of suffering.
But in the suffering, “See what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God”, 1 John 3: 1. The emphasis there is not so much on the children, but it is the love of the Father, in giving us that place. There are distinctions between children and sonship; children is the provisional setting. The place of sonship is heaven: the condition of sonship is a glorified body, and we enjoy that relationship now. What we are as children will go through in a substantial way as born of God. It is very interesting: if we read further down in verse 21, “in hope that the creature itself also shall be set free from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God”. But earlier it says, “For the anxious looking out of the creature expects the revelation of the sons of God”, v 19. The “liberty of the glory of the children of God” is as sons of God. These two features are brought very close in this scripture. Mr A J Gardiner was once asked ‘what is the distinction between children and sons’; and he said they are brought very close together, Readings and Addresses on Eternal Life p129 Sonship is the eternal thought and that for the Father’s pleasure, God’s pleasure. What blessings we have been brought into and the Holy Spirit gives us the feelings and affections proper to that relationship as sons of God. Enjoy it, dear fellow believer; it is God’s thought for us in purpose.
I read 1 Corinthians 12 to bring out again that “all these things operates the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each in particular according as he pleases”. It is the sovereignty of the Spirit, because of who He is. He gives “the word of wisdom” to one, and “the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit”, 1 Cor 12: 8. The Spirit operates: “the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each in particular according as he pleases”. That is important: this is a figure of the human body here, as a picture to help us to understand the body and how He gives one, one ability, and another, another. This is very important because it cuts right across the will of man. If the will of man enters into these things by men choosing persons to function however high or however low in the scale, it is not of God: this is the divine way of things operating. The Spirit gives to one or another because of who He is; He has this ability and right to do this, the sovereign action of the Spirit. Here we see the supremacy of the Spirit in relation to ourselves; not in relation to His relations with the Father and the Son, but in relation to ourselves. It can be nothing else but that, that the Spirit has the supremacy in relation to ourselves; He is God. We see it again in “the Spirit searches … the depths of God”, 1 Cor 2: 10. Only the Spirit can do that, and that is in view of our help, our being brought into the light and good of these things. He searches the depths of God: they are not in ourselves, that is the depths of God, and He does that. He knows what is in the depths of God, and He brings it out for us. The thoughts of divine love - eternal, heavenly, blessed things.
I read in John 13: but what I have in mind here is that also in chapters, 14, 15 and 16, the Lord Jesus refers to the Spirit. It is the Lord’s foresight as to what we would need for the time of His absence; He knew what we would need, and there are two things the Lord prominently brings before us in these chapters. One is that we would need the Comforter, the blessed Holy Spirit, as the Lord is no longer here personally. The other thing which the Lord weaves in with that is “love amongst yourselves”. These are two things He brings in a number of times in these chapters. He also draws attention to the Father, and He speaks to the Father and had His own relations with the Father. It is not so much what we would do but what the Father would do in answer to our prayers.
The more I give place to the Spirit, the more I will appreciate my brother. Because I need help from my brother, the Spirit speaks to him, the body functions and love appreciates that, and love makes way for one another so these two things are linked together for the time of His absence.
This is a special time we are in; there will never be another time like it. The Lord says in regard of Himself, “the things concerning me have an end”, Luke 22: 37. The Shepherd was going to be smitten and the sheep were going to be scattered (Mark 14: 27), and how He felt that. There had been a little circle round Him that He appreciated, and they appreciated Him; that was coming to an end for ever in the way that He enjoyed it then. The Lord is no longer in flesh and blood conditions with a little circle of lovers around Him! The things concerning us have an end similarly. What we are enjoying now will not continue forever; it could end tonight. Do I appreciate it? The Lord has given us brethren to walk with; He has set us together. Those around the Lord enjoyed it, and the Lord enjoyed their company; they enjoyed communion together. Similarly, we are set together, and the Lord is our object, and the Holy Spirit is serving us, but this is a unique time. Do I fully appreciate this provisional setting that we are in? It will come to an end. Appreciate it as long as we have it! Of course, we are looking for the Lord’s return. That is the hope of every believer, but there is something special about the present time. The day to come will not be like this; everyone will acknowledge the Lord then; everyone will own His worthiness. We are in a special time. It is interesting that nearly all the assembly has been formed in the time of reproach, “the reproach of the Christ” (Heb 11: 26), the difficulties, burdens, problems. But what precious times we enjoy together; each of us looks at one another as “the fruit of the travail of his soul”, Isa 53: 11. What each one of us has cost Christ, each one indwelt by the Spirit, each one set in the body. How great these things are! There is nothing in the world like it. We sometimes sing:
Soon shall this service cease
(Hymn 109).
That could be at any moment, and the Spirit and the bride will say, “Come” (Rev 22: 17) - we are saying it already - to the Lord Jesus. Think of it: a divine Person here and we with the Holy Spirit in unison saying, “Come”! And then His service here will be completed, and the church and the Holy Spirit will go, but as long as we are here we have the faithful service of the Holy Spirit, “that he may be with you for ever”, John 14: 16.
I feel for myself I need to appreciate the Holy Spirit more and give more place to Him, to appreciate Him individually, and in this collective setting. What a Servant He is! He is the Servant He is because of who He is. May the Lord bless the word!
DUNDEE
27th October 2018