But the Helper, the holy Spirit...

(John 14:26) “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit...”

I have a troubled soul this morning, not troubled as if one without hope! But troubled by heaviness to seek out the truth on how, and to what degree, my application to text in conjunction with revelation should proportionately be applied. I am not sure there is an equal answer for all! That is somewhat of a dangerous statement and many a cult has found strength to mislead their follows with that type of theology. Nevertheless, we must all embrace Him with open arms! Having warned us on the wrong application to verses out of context, what about the over emphasis on structure, that too can mislead! It is also obvious that our carnal mind rejects the work of God the Holy Spirit, both the sinner and the saint can be influence by this fact. If as a saint (a child of God) I reason as a man to the exclusion of what scripture teachers me and I shut out the greatest of Teachers, the Holy Spirit, then I reject His council. I may miss out on revelation! How I love it when I am surprised by scripture and a new truth jumps out at me on a page that I may have read many times before. It brings with it freshness to my ongoing relationship with this great God of ours! If I over reason what God is showing me, I then may miss out! I do however say that with much carefulness! We must proof scripture to be true from scripture itself!

I need to find answers; we must wrestle to find answers! Remember Jacob and his encounter with the angel (man) at Peniel, he had such a determination to be blessed that it marred his flesh for life! O if only I could have but a blot of his tenacity. “When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed."” (Genesis 32:25-28)

If I consider scripture, there are many absolutes; the Word will endure forever, everything that has been penned will come to pass, whether good or bad and so on.

This morning I would like to explore the influence of the God the Holy Spirit in our lives and how we should walk by His influence and not with the minds of men.

The Charismatic’s (the anything goes type of Christian) likes to run under the banner, “leading of the Spirit” and often to the exclusion of sound doctrine. One thing is for certain, God the Holy Spirit will never contradict the Word of God. He will never deny Himself! This is the basis of our foundation and all that is said must be confirmed by the Word of God – the Bible! Correct application to the work of God the Holy Spirit is imperative to the believer’s life.  His main objective is to reveal Christ! In fact He was the catalyst that impregnated the Virgin Mary; “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18) 

It is a clear indication that from start to finish He would be involved with the Lord Jesus’ ministry and it can and should not be any different for the believer. He is our helper; “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) 

We see that He is also our teacher but if we overlook Him as our teacher then we will revert back to a carnal mindset! My next point I can with certainty say, as it has been tried and tested in my life; He shall bring to remembrance all that the Lord has said to us (believers) and how does that happen you may ask? The Word which has been penned in the Bible once digested either through ministry or through reading will be brought back to our minds if and when needed. It is a help to equip us to walk in faith! I have heard much said about “memory verses” (memorizing scripture in a parrot type fashion), it may have its place but I am not convinced, I may be wrong! Nevertheless the text is clear; the Holy Spirit will bring to “remembrance what the Lord has said!” I can without fear of contradiction confess that my memory is not good, but as far as remembering and recalling scripture I accredit that to the work of the Holy Spirit and nothing else. I will have no boast whatsoever in my ability as a man to remember scripture! There is such a vastness to God the Holy Spirit that I will barely scratch the surface, but I must continue! I fear for the Christian that has build a hedge around self because of what he has witnessed in so called Christian circles and how they have miss appropriated His work. The cliché that is often referred to but carries with it much truth; “do not throw the baby out with the dirty bath water!” Over correction to the detriment of truth seems to be the order of the day. May God help us in this area of our lives, as we are in desperate need of His help! I would love to explore this though further but although time would permit, I fear if I become somewhat long winded, I may miss the importance of this topic with many words.

Let me conclude with some of C.H.Spurgeon’s thoughts on the Holy Spirit, as he will be easily received by most, even if I am not by some!

“...One word of comment and advice to the saints of God, and to sinners, and I have done. Saints of the Lord! ye have this morning heard that God the Holy Ghost is a person; ye have had it proved to your souls. What follows from this? Why, it followeth how earnest ye should be in prayer to the Holy Spirit, as well as for the Holy Spirit. Let me say that this is an inference that you should lift up your prayers to the Holy Ghost: that you should cry earnestly unto him; for he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you can speak or think. See this mass of people. What is to convert it? See this crowd? Who is to make my influence permeate through the mass? You know this place now has a mighty influence, and, God blessing us, it will have an influence not only upon this city, but upon England at large; for we now employ the press as well as the pulpit; and certainly, I should say, before the close of the year, more than two hundred thousand of my productions will be scattered through the land—words uttered by my lips, or written by my pen. But how can this influence be rendered for good? How shall God's glory be promoted by it? Only by incessant prayer for the Holy Spirit; by constantly calling down the influence of the Holy Ghost upon us; we want him to rest upon every page that is printed, and upon every word that is uttered. Let us then be doubly earnest in pleading with the Holy Ghost, that he would come and own our labors; that the whole church at large may be revived thereby, and not ourselves only, but the whole world share in the benefit.
Then, to the ungodly, I have this one closing word to say. Ever be careful how you speak of the Holy Ghost. I do not know what the unpardonable sin is, and I do not think any man understands it; but it is something like this: "He that speaketh a word against the Holy Ghost, it shall never be forgiven him." I do not know what that means; but tread carefully! There is danger; there is a pit which our ignorance has covered by sand; tread carefully! you may be in it before the next hour. If there is any strife in your heart to-day, perhaps you will go to the ale-house and forget it. Perhaps there is some voice speaking in your soul, and you will put it away. I do not tell you will be resisting the Holy Ghost, and committing the unpardonable sin; but it is somewhere there. Be very careful. O, there is no crime on earth so black as the crime against the Holy Spirit! Ye may blaspheme the Father, and ye shall be damned for it, unless ye repent; ye may blaspheme the Son, and hell shall be your portion, unless ye are forgiven; but blaspheme the Holy Ghost, and thus saith the Lord: "There is no forgiveness, either in this world nor in the world which is to come." I cannot tell you what it is; I do no profess to understand it; but there it is. It is the danger signal; stop! man, stop! If thou has despised the Holy Spirit— if thou hast laughed at his revelations, and scorned what Christians call his influence, I beseech thee, stop! This morning seriously deliberate. Perhaps some of you have actually committed the unpardonable sin; stop! Let fear stop you; sit down. Do not drive on so rashly as you have done, Jehu! O slacken your reins! Thou who are such a profligate in sin—thou who hast uttered such hard words against the Trinity, stop! Ah! it makes us all stop. It makes us all draw up, and say, "Have I not perhaps so done?" Let us think of this; and let us not at any time stifle either with the words or the acts of God the Holy Ghost.” {Delivered on Sabbath Morning, January 21, 1855, by the REV. C. H. Spurgeon At New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.}

 “In all that I have said I have given you another reason for seeking the aid of the Holy Spirit. If you do not understand a book by a departed writer you are unable to ask him his meaning, but the Spirit, who inspired Holy Scripture, lives forever, and he delights to open up the Word to those who seek his instruction. He is always accessible: "He dwelleth with you and shall be in you." Go to him for yourselves and cry, "Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law"; and, this being granted you, entreat him to send forth his light and power with the Word when you expound it, that your hearers also may be led into all truth. Commentaries, expositions, interpretations, are all mere scaffolding; the Holy Ghost himself must edify you and help you to build up the church of the living God.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone