James Duff April 19th 2015 ~ Holy Spirit
The Holy SpiritAs a church we have been attempting to fix our eyes on Jesus by preaching through the book of John and looking closely at the “I AM” statements of Jesus. These statements show much and say much about the glory of the second person of the Trinity. This week we begin a series on the Holy Spirit. We are praying that this will help us fulfill the second half of our vision for this year: having hearts that are open to Him.
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
Some of us may know little or believe we have experienced little of the work of the Holy Spirit. There are many questions that pop into my own mind when thinking about the third person of the Trinity. I hope that this new series will help answer some of your questions; maybe it will address some fears you may have or even change your opinion on who and what is the role of the Holy Spirit today. The series begins with the question, “Who is the Holy Spirit?”We are using some of the works of R.T. Kendall as a guide to the subject of the Holy Spirit. R.T. Kendall is best described as a Reformed theologian/minister who was mentored by the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and took over his ministry as the pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, for 25 years. He begins his book Holy Fire saying, “The Holy Spirit does not belong to you. Are you Charismatic? He is bigger than your signs and wonders events. Are you Reformed? He will not be limited by your theology.” We are praying that our series will be balanced and biblical when it comes to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives and that we don’t fall into either of two heresies:1. Ignoring Scripture and believing the Holy Spirit is all we need; or2. Quenching the Spirit and thinking that Scripture is all God has for us.C.S. Lewis says of Aslan in the Narnia series, “He isn’t safe, but he is good.” It is often thought that this quote, since it speaks of Aslan, applies only to Jesus but I think we would do well to apply it to the Trinity and especially to the Holy Spirit. He isn’t at all safe but everything He does is good.We must also be prepared and guard against attacks of Satan through this series. Jonathan Edwards, the great Puritan Reformed theologian of the 18th century, rightfully said: “When the church is revived, so is the devil.” We want to see hearts open to the triune God and for Him, through His Spirit, to come alongside us, fall upon us again and lead us into a deeper love for Jesus and each other. The devil wants none of that. He wants our love for Jesus and for each other to be quenched and damaged. Now, please, there is no need to panic since God says in His word:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”James 4:7
By opening our hearts to God, we are submitting to Him. Attack will come but resist the Devil and he will flee, for the Holy Spirit is with us, empowering us, filling us, guiding us, protecting us and we at St Philips are His people.Enjoy the ride.James