The Church: Its Meaning - The Protege of the Spirit of God, Part 2

This morning, I wanna continue our look at the church, its mission, ministry, and meaning, and by picking up where we left off last week about how the church is the protege of the Spirit of God.

That is, the church is the one that is led and guided and directed by someone more experienced and more important and greater than they are, and that is the Spirit of God. And so I wanna give you an overview of that. It's gonna be really, really fast. I have 11 points I'm gonna cover in 44 minutes. That's one point every four minutes, okay? And this is not an in-depth study of pneumatology, the study of the Spirit of God, but it's part of our outline, so we want you to understand it because we want you to get a full grasp of the church and what is the meaning, mission, and ministry of the church.

Well, to do that, you need to know about the work of the Spirit of God in the people of God. That's simply because the Lord said that He knows what we need before we even ask Him. Well, how does He know that? Well, because He's omniscient, He's God. He knows everything, right? So we talked about that last week. We talked about the fact that God Himself is the one who grants to us that which is good, and specifically, the good thing is the Holy Spirit of God. He's granted us His Spirit, and I'm afraid that for the most part, we don't really grasp the significance of that.

So to understand that the church is the protege of the Spirit of God, that is, the church is the one that is led, guided, directed, supported by someone greater than they are because the Holy Spirit is a person. He's not an it. He is a person, and therefore, how does that happen? When did it all begin? Okay, so are you ready? Here we go. Number one, the church, the Spirit of God generates in us conviction.

He generates conviction in all of us. Look at John chapter 16. John chapter 16, verse number seven. He says, let's begin with verse number five. But now I am going to Him who sent me, and none of you asked me where are you going, but because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper or the comforter, the one called alongside of, will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.

And he, when he comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment, concerning sin because they do not believe in me, and concerning righteousness because I go to the Father and you no longer see me, and concerning judgment because the ruler of this world has been judged. In other words, everything begins with how the Spirit of God generates in you and me a great conviction about sin, righteousness, and judgment. Notice it's sin, not sins.

It's singular because it's the sin of unbelief. Remember, Israel was not able to enter into rest because of their unbelief. Jesus said, unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. And so the sin is the sin of unbelief. And the Spirit of God convicts us that we don't believe in the true and living God. He convicts us of righteousness. He says, I go to my Father. Well, our Lord embodied righteousness. He was the fulfillment of the entire law, right? Not just the moral law, but the ceremonial law and the civil law.

He says, I came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill every aspect of the law, and He did. So He was the epitome of righteousness because He is a righteous God. But in order to obtain that righteousness, there needs to be a conviction by the Spirit of God that only God's Spirit does through the ministry of the Word of God. And so He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment because He's already judged the ruler of this world. He's already been cast out of heaven. The cross proved that Jesus Christ is the victor.

And so what happens is that everything begins when the Spirit of God generates in you and me a conviction about the sin that we don't believe in the deity of Christ, we don't believe in who Jesus Christ is, and we realize that we fall short of His righteousness for all sin and fall short of the glory of God, and that we will one day be judged if we don't commit our lives to Christ. The Spirit of God does all that convicting work. So the Spirit of God generates in us conviction, and then number two, the Spirit of God graces us with redemption.

He graces us with redemption. He graces us with salvation. John chapter three. So we'll turn over a couple of pages to John chapter three. Christ is having a discussion with Nicodemus. He says these words, truly I say to you, verse number five, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I say to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going.

So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Not only does He generate in us conviction, but He graces us with redemption. He graces us with salvation. In this conversation with Nicodemus, the Lord is talking about being born of water and of the Spirit. That specifically takes you all the way back to Ezekiel 36, and about the new covenant promise that God gave to Israel. And Nicodemus would know that. We know that Titus 3.5 says that we are born again by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Spirit of God.

We know that Ephesians 5.26 tells us it's the washing of regeneration by which one is saved. Well, the Spirit of God is involved in all that. And He says, that which is born of the flesh begets the flesh. And that which is born of the Spirit is begot by the Spirit. So in other words, it's the Spirit of God that graces us with redemption and salvation. He says, you know, the wind blows where it blows, and no one knows where it's going. No one knows where it begins. You can't see the wind, but you see the effects of the wind.

You don't see the Spirit, but you see the effects of the Spirit. Why? Because the Spirit regenerates the life of the unbeliever. So the Spirit of God generates in us conviction, graces us with redemption. And then number three, the Spirit of God is that which guarantees our destination.

The Spirit of God guarantees our destination. Your eternal security is not based on your performance. It's based on the work of the true and living God. Through the Spirit of God who operates in your life. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter one.

Ephesians chapter one. Paul says in him, verse 13, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of his glory. He says, listen, you have been sealed unto the day of redemption. You've been sealed by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is the pledge. It's the Abaddon. It is the engagement ring that assures the bride that the bridegroom is coming.

It's the guarantee that all the promises given to us in Christ will be fulfilled exactly as he said, because the Spirit of God is that guarantee of our eternal destination. We know that one day we will be with him in glory. We know that all the promises are yes in Christ Jesus, our Lord, all the promises that God gives are yes in Christ Jesus, our Lord. So we understand that. And yet what guarantees that all those promises will be fulfilled? The Holy Spirit of promise. He is our guarantee. He guarantees our future destination.

We are assured of glory because of the Spirit of God. God has given us a promise. He's granted us his Spirit that seals us and confirms the fact that one day we will be with him. So why is the church, the protege, the Spirit of God? Simply because he generates in us conviction, he graces us with redemption, and he guarantees our destination. Now the fourth one, you're gonna have to stick with me to understand it, okay? Here it is, ready? Number four, he groans for us amidst our intercession. He groans for us amidst our intercession.

Turn with me in your Bible to Romans chapter eight. This is so rich. It is so beautiful. Because listen to what it says in Romans chapter eight. Remember Romans eight in the context is about trials, tribulations, sufferings, difficulties, hardships. And yet we in our own bodies are groaning, right? For redemption, all of creation groans for redemption. We groan for the glorification of our bodies. We're groaning for that one day when we will be with Christ and there'll be no more pain and no more tears and there'll be complete joy and complete bliss because we're in the presence of the living God.

And so Paul says this in Romans 8 26. In the same way, the spirit also helps our weakness. What's our weakness? Our infirmities. We are frail. We have difficulties. We don't know everything. We don't understand everything. We have spiritual limitations. We don't know why suffering happens. We don't know why all the difficulties around us are taking place. But the spirit of God helps our infirmities. For we do not know how to pray as we should. What a great statement. We just don't know how to pray as we need to pray.

Now we think we do. We think we know what we need to say. But in all reality, we don't. And so Paul says these words. But the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. In other words, the spirit of God groans for us in ways that we don't understand because he intercedes before the throne of grace because of our infirmities. This is just a great ministry of the spirit of God. This is an inter-Trinitarian communication between the spirit of God, the son of God, and God the Father.

We have no idea what the spirit of God groans for us. But he does because he knows what's inside of us. He knows the mind of God. Listen to what it says. It says, the spirit of himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches the heart knows what the mind of the spirit is because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. This is so good because the spirit of God knows the will of God. We don't. He knows it perfectly. Now there are aspects of God's will that we know because we can read his word.

But when it comes sometimes to our suffering, because that's the context, we don't necessarily know everything. We don't understand it all. We don't get it. And we cry for the redemption of our bodies. We cry for a pain-free life. We cry for the opportunity to be in the presence of almighty God forever and ever. That's the heart cry of the believer. And yet, while we live in this life, there are difficulties and hardships. So we go to prayer. But we don't know how to pray as we ought to pray. Ah, but the spirit of God, he groans.

He groans in a way that are too deep for words. These are not audible words. This is the spirit of God communicating with the throne of grace, where God the Father and God the Son themselves are. And he communicates for us in ways we don't understand because he knows the will of God for our lives and we don't know that. This is such an incredible thing about the spirit of God that we don't even understand. I don't understand it. I go to prayer and I pray and I ask God to do great things, but I don't necessarily understand all that God's going to do.

But the spirit of God, oh, he intercedes on our behalf with groanings that are too deep for words. These aren't words. This is the spirit of God communicating with the triune God of the universe on your behalf and on my behalf. That's why the church is the protege of the spirit of God. We need to be led, guided, and directed by someone greater than us, someone more experienced than us. That's the spirit of God. God is so good to give to us another helper, another comforter, one like the Lord himself that will be in us and dwell in us.

So we come to realize that the church is the protege of the spirit of God because he generates in us conviction. He graces us with redemption. He guarantees our destination. He groans for us amidst our intercession. And then number five, he grants us comprehension. While we don't know everything that's happening, God has granted us the spirit of truth to lead us into all truth. So back to John chapter 14, verse number 26. But the helper, the comforter, 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 said to you.

Chapter 16, verse number 13. But when he, the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth for he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak and he will disclose to you what is to come. Now listen, in context, it specifically refers to the apostles and how the spirit of God is gonna lead them into all truth, bring them their minds through the remembrance of all that had taken place so that when they write the Holy Scriptures, they are the inspired words of God.

Remember 2 Peter 1, 20 and 21, holy men of God were moved along, borne along by the spirit of God as they would give us the truth of the living God. Yet a secondary application is the fact that he is the spirit of truth. And because he is the spirit of truth, he guides us and grants us the understanding, the comprehension as to what it is we are to know and learn in the word of God. This leads us to our next point, number six, and that is he grows us toward maturation or grows us toward completion.

2 Corinthians 3, 2 Corinthians 3, verse number 18. The Bible says, but we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the spirit or the Holy Spirit.

In other words, listen, we all with unveiled face are beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. The mirror is the word of God. And we look into the word of God. We study the word of God. And what do we behold? We behold the glory of the Lord. We are able to understand the beauty of the living God. And as we do, the spirit of God is working in our lives so that we are being changed and growing toward maturation from one level of glory to the next level of glory to the next level of glory, because that's what the spirit of God does.

God's spirit grows us, but he only grows us in conjunction with the truth of the living God. I love what it says over in 1 Corinthians chapter two, 1 Corinthians chapter two. It says in verse number 10, for to us, God revealed them through the spirit for the spirit searches all things, even the depths of God, for who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him. Even so the thoughts of God, no one knows except the spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one for who has known the mind of the Lord that he will instruct him. But we have the mind of Christ. What is the mind of Christ? God's word reveals us his mind. It doesn't mean that we have a mind like Christ where we're omniscient, no. We have the mind of Christ because of the spirit of God that's within us and he unveils to us everything we need to know in the word of God because he's the spirit of truth.

And therefore, when we behold as in a mirror this glory of the Lord, now we are being transformed from one level of glory to the next because the spirit of God is working in our hearts in conjunction with the word of truth because he's the spirit of truth and we begin to grow in our relationship with the living God. See, we can't grow without God's spirit. We can't. And we don't understand, the natural man doesn't understand the things of the spirit of God. But we do, why? Because we have the mind of Christ.

Christ's mind revealed to us in his word. And that's why the church is being born along, led, directed, guided by this one individual who is greater, more important, more experienced because he's the God of the universe who lives within us, the spirit of the living God. So he grants us conviction or yeah, generates us conviction, graces us with redemption, guarantees our destination, grows for us to miss our intercession, grants us comprehension, grows us toward maturation, and number seven, guards us against temptation.

Guards us against temptation. Look at Galatians chapter five. Galatians chapter five. Paul says in verse number 16, but I say, walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another. So you may not do the things that you please, but if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh and its passions and desires. If we live by the spirit, let us also walk by the spirit. In other words, when we are being born along by the spirit of God, when you walk in the spirit, it's as you are walking naturally day by day, right? How do you walk? One step at a time. You put one foot in front of the other and you continue to walk.

When you walk in the spirit, you are walking dependently upon the spirit of God in every step you take, moment by moment, day by day, because you need the spirit of God. And when you let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, God's spirit begins to dominate and control your life. And you begin to live life not fulfilling the lust of the flesh, but fulfilling the fruit of the spirit. Why? Because God's spirit is directing you. God's spirit is guiding you. God's spirit is moving you along. And that's why it's so important that we walk in the spirit daily because we need God's spirit to help us against temptation.

So he guards us against temptation. Number eight, I told you I'd be fast. He galvanizes our participation. He galvanizes our participation. In other words, he stimulates us to action. He moves us to action. And he galvanizes our participation where? In the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse number one.

Now concerning spirituals or spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. Now remember, I told you this before, that there are seven times in the New Testament where Paul says, brethren, I don't want you to be ignorant or I don't want you to be unaware of something, okay? And there are seven times he says that because there are seven things you need to be aware of. But unfortunately, those are the seven items we are least aware of. And one of them is in the realm of spiritual gifts.

Now concerning spirituals, concerning spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be ignorant. I do not want you to be unaware of them. Why? Because they are what makes the body the body. It's what makes the family a family. It's what makes the temple the temple. It's what makes us function together as a unit. So he goes on to say in verse number seven, but to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. In other words, you've been given a gift for the common good. Now I won't spend a lot of time in here because next week I'm gonna talk to you about how the church is the platform for the gifts of the Spirit.

So I can't throw my whole wad at you today. I wouldn't have anything to say next week. But you need to understand that what the Spirit of God is doing is he galvanizes our participation. The Spirit of God moves you to action. The question is, are you actively a participant in the body of Christ? Are you exercising your gifts for the glory of his name? We're right now in the middle of a study of spiritual gifts. It's the elective class that we teach because we want you to understand what your spiritual gift is.

And we tell you that there are four different passages of Scripture that describe spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Peter 4, Ephesians 4. And the Lord lists those out for you. And we tell you that they're designed into four categories. There are support gifts, there are speaking gifts, there are sign gifts, and there are special gifts, gifted men given to the church. And Harold does a fine job of outlining that for you so you understand it, so you can decipher what those gifts are. And how do you know what your gift is?

But you see, what God does is he moves us to action. He moves us to participate. He wants us involved. And therefore, when you have a spiritual gift, which you do because the Lord's given them to you. Now notice this, in verse number 11 of 1 Corinthians 12, but one and the same spirit works all these things distributing to each one individually just as he wills.

In other words, the spirit of God has granted you a spiritual gift specifically tailored for you. That's very important. In other words, you don't have to pray about a gift. It's been given to you when you're born again, because the spirit of God grants you the gift. Now you need to understand that. Why? Because if you go to 1 Corinthians 12, verse number 31, it says, but earnestly desire the greater gifts. And people will say, well, you know what? I need to earnestly desire gifts of miracles and gifts of healings and gifts of tongues because those are the greater gifts.

And that's a command given by Paul. But why would Paul command them to do something that they were already doing? That's important to understand that in context of 1 Corinthians 12. And if the Holy Spirit has sovereignly, individually, specifically given you a gift, you desiring something else isn't gonna help you. The word zelaho is a word used mostly in the New Testament as a negative jealousy, a negative desire, a lusting desire. So he says it this way, but you are earnestly desiring the greater gifts.

And that's why he goes into 1 Corinthians 13. He's talking about the greatest of these is love because you need to have love for the brethren. You don't have that because you wanna show yourself off by having the showing gifts. So instead of earnestly desiring the greater gifts, earnestly desire and pursue love because that's the most important. And the Spirit of God has already sovereignly bestowed upon you a spiritual gift to use the body of Christ. The question is, are you exercising that giftedness?

This is so important. Why? Because it's for the common good. We read that in verse number seven. The gifts are given for the common good. In other words, we benefit from the exercise of your giftedness. We come together, we gather together as a church, as a body of Christ. And each of you, as you exercise your gift, you minister to one another, you serve one another, and the body of Christ is being built up together. That's why in Ephesians 4, God has given gifted men to the church, pastors, teachers, evangelists, apostles, prophets.

Why? Because they equip the saints for the work of ministry so that you can exercise your gift to its fullest potential. So God gives special gifts or gifted men to the church so they will instruct you and teach you so that you might be able to use your gift in the common good of the body so that we might all grow together toward maturity in Christ. And as each one of us exercises our gifts, we have a composite picture of the ministry of Christ in our assembly. Because our Lord embodied all the gifts, right?

You don't embody all the gifts. You have one primary gift, you might even have two, but you don't embody all the gifts. But God has gifted you, and He wants to use you in a great and mighty way. When I talk about how the Spirit of God galvanizes our participation, I'm talking about the fact that He absolutely motivates us unlike anything else. I live for Wednesdays and Sundays. I live for Wednesdays and Sundays. I can't wait till tomorrow because tomorrow I'm diving into Wednesday. And on Tuesday, I'm diving into Sunday.

And on Wednesday, I'm finalizing Wednesday. And on Thursday, I'm finalizing Sunday. And I just can't wait to get here. Why? Because the Spirit of God energizes your life. He moves you to participate. He wants you to be involved. Listen, I love to preach. I love to preach. I've been preaching for 44 years. It's a long time, okay? But I preach because God has gifted me to preach. I'm a pastor teacher. And so I live to do that. When you have a spiritual gift, God doesn't give you a gift you're gonna hate.

Why would He do that? He doesn't do that. Well, I got the gift of mercy, and I hate being merciful to people. But you can't, no, a person with a gift of mercy, man, they love to bestow mercy on others. They love to visit those who are sick and who are infirmed. And they love to reach out and assist those in the time of great need and show compassion on them. They're just wired that way. Why? The Spirit of God. God does that. Now, I'm not wired that way, but that does not keep me from being merciful because I'm still commended to be merciful, right?

You have to get to faith. To get to faith is seen in your giving patterns, in your praying patterns. That's where the gift of faith is seen. To get to faith is seen in your emotional stability. Those with a gift of faith are not anxious people. They're not worrisome people. Why? They have to get to faith. They trust God. They believe in God. They depend upon God. That doesn't mean that excuses your anxiousness. Why? Because you are to be anxious for nothing, Paul says in Philippians chapter four.

But those with the gift of faith encourage others without that gift, how not to be anxious and trust in the true and living God. See? And so they all function together. It's just a remarkable way in how God has designed the body. Amen. And when you are gifted, you can't wait to exercise your gift in the church. If you're exercising your gift in an arena right now in the church, and you're like, man, I'm hating this. I don't wanna go to church today because I gotta do that. I don't wanna do this. That's probably not your gift.

In fact, I'm gonna guarantee you that's not your gift. Okay? Doesn't mean you shouldn't serve because we all should be serving because we have to serve one another. But when you're gifted in a specific area, you are ecstatic about that. That's why the spirit of God galvanizes your participation. He moves you to action. I love being together with the people for prayers today. Why? Because I have the gift of prophecy, you're a pastor, teacher, but I also have the gift of faith. And I love to pray. And I love to be with people who pray.

Why? Because we're exercising the gift that says, Lord, we can't do this. We need to trust you to accomplish these things. It doesn't mean that if you don't have the gift of faith, you can't show up to prayer meeting. Doesn't mean that, all right? It means that you probably should be there so you might learn to exercise a little bit of faith in your everyday life. But that's what the spirit of God does. And I must hurry. I'll spend more time on this next week. All right, so anyway, the spirit of God galvanizes our participation.

Number nine, he gratifies us with consolation. Spirit of God gratifies us with consolation. Let me tell you something.

The greatest consoler is not your husband or your wife. It's the spirit of God. You want it to be your husband or your wife. You wish it would be your husband or your wife, but it's not. It is the spirit of God. It's not your pastor either. It's not your coach. It is the spirit of God. The Bible says in John chapter 14, verse number 16, these words, I will ask the Father and he will give you another helper, another comforter, the periklitos, the one called alongside of, that he may be with you forever.

That is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you. In verse 27, he talks about the spirit of truth coming. He says, peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. None as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. Why? Because of the spirit of God, the great helper, the consoler, the comforter. Listen to what it says in Acts chapter nine.

Acts chapter nine, Saul is saved. His name is gonna be changed to Paul. Everybody's worried about this guy. He used to be a persecutor of the Christians and now he's saved. And all of a sudden, listen to what the word of the Lord says in verse 31 of Acts nine. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace being built up and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. There are so many verses in the scriptures that speak about how the spirit of God is our comforter.

He is the one who gives us peace in the innermost part of our being. So Christ could say that the peace I'm going to give you is not like the world gives, it's my peace. The peace that allowed me to stay asleep on a boat in the middle of a storm, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, when you all were afraid for your lives, I was sleeping, walking. Spirit of God, the comforter, I was at peace. So my peace I give to you. See, we are so blessed that we can be at peace amidst the world of turmoil. You can be at peace in your home, even though your home is fractured.

Why? Because of the spirit of God. It doesn't mean you accept the fact that it's fractured, it's that you're at peace in your heart because you have set to live for the glory and honor of Christ and put him first, and you want to exemplify the peace of Christ as you operate within the confines of your home.

You see, this is what God does. And so he gives us the comforter because what you and I need more than anything else is comfort and peace and tranquility and serenity because we don't necessarily have that. You can't muster up peace. You can't muster up comfort. I'm gonna go to sleep and be comfortable tonight. No, no, no, it doesn't work that way. It's the spirit of God that operates in your life and mine. And therefore we walk in dependence upon him. And therefore he is the one who gratifies us with conviction.

Number 10, I told you I'd finish. First time in the 30 year history I've been here. Gave 11 points in one day. He governs all of our interactions. He governs all of our interactions. The verse is Ephesians chapter five. Talked about this a little bit on Wednesday evening when it says, be filled with the spirit. Verse number 18, and do not get drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be filled or controlled with the spirit of God. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.

Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father, and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Our Lord governs all of our interactions through the filling of the spirit of God. In other words, when God's spirit controls your life, when you surrender your will to his, and you study his word and his ways, you are giving your life under the control and domination of the spirit of God to direct everything about your life. It affects how you speak to one another, how you sing in your heart, how often and whenever you give thanks to the Lord, as well as being subject one to another in the fear of Christ.

In other words, God has given us a spirit so that we can interact with one another with a submissive spirit. In other words, we're trying to lift everybody else above us. Instead of trying to be top dog, we're fighting to be the bottom dog. We're fighting to be at the very bottom that we might lift everybody above us or on top of us up. In other words, we wanna steam others. We wanna magnify others above us. We wanna subject ourselves to one another. We wanna rank ourselves under others, but that only happens when God's spirit is controlling our lives.

It governs our interactions, how we speak to one another, how we give praise and honor and thanks to God for all that he's done. So we can submit ourselves to one another in the fear of the Lord. My friends, listen, the only way your marriage is gonna be any better is if you submit to the spirit's domination in your life and be controlled by the spirit of God. We talked about this on Wednesday night. If you weren't here, you can listen to it online. But it's an opportunity for you to understand how it is that God's spirit directs your life and controls and dominates your interactions with your wife, with your husband, with your children.

It's so important. And yet so often, our interactions are bad because we wanna be right. We can't be wrong. We always, always want others to say they're sorry, not us. Others to ask forgiveness, not us. And you know those people who are subject to one another. They live a life of humility and forgiveness. They don't have bitterness. They don't have anger and malice. Why? Because they're dominated by the spirit of God. That's why. And lastly, the reason the church is a protege of the spirit of God is because he goes with us in our proclamation.

He goes with us in our proclamation. Remember in Acts chapter one, verse number eight, the Lord said, when you receive the spirit, you shall receive power, right? When the spirit of God comes upon you, you're gonna be powerful. And sure enough, they were. I love what it says in Acts chapter four, when the apostles had been threatened and they were released. Verse 23, it says, when they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all to the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

And when they heard this, they lifted up their voices to God and with one accord and said, oh Lord, it is you who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father, David, your servant said, why did the Gentiles rage in the people's devised feudal things? The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For truly in this city, they were gathered together against your holy servant, Jesus whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur.

And now Lord, take note of their threats and grant that your bond servants may speak your word with all confidence while you extend your hand to heal and signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant, Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. It's the spirit of God that goes with us as we proclaim the truth of God. We have nothing to worry about.

When we go and we share Christ with those in door-to-door visitation or those in Ecuador in July when we're going there, or in eight days of hope in March when we go there, or with our neighbor or those we work with, we go with boldness. Why? Because the Lord goes before us. The spirit of God goes before us, go into all the world, make disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, teach them to obey all the commands that I've given to you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Our Lord's with us. He's given us a spirit to energize us, to give us the words to say in those very moments when we don't know what to say. I give you all this in a nutshell because it's not a study of pneumatology or the study of the spirit of God. It's an overview to excite you about learning more about how the Holy Spirit works and operates in your life. There is so much to learn about the spirit of God and how he functions in your life and mine. But know this, God is so good to us. He didn't leave us, as he told his disciples, as orphans.

No, he didn't leave you alone. No, I'm gonna give you another, another of the same kind, same kind as me, another helper. The comforter, the Holy Spirit of truth. He will be in you forever. The Lord dwells within us and we are being guided, directed, led, motivated, encouraged by one greater than us, the spirit of God. As he does that, we are used by God in great and mighty ways. Ask yourself, are you being used by God in great and mighty ways? Not popular ways, not prominent ways, but great and mighty ways.

Remember what Daniel 11, 32 says? Those who know their God will display strength and do great exploits. They know their God. When you know the spirit of God and how he functions in your life, you will do great exploits for him because you're walking in the spirit, you're filled with the spirit, you're sealed with that same spirit, you're dependent upon that spirit, you're not walking in the flesh, but walking according to the spirit of the living God. Let me pray with you.

Father, thank you for today, the opportunity to give us a be in your word for just a brief moment, and pray, Lord, that you'd encourage us and motivate us to live for the glory of your kingdom. We know you're coming again. We know it could be today, but we pray, Lord, that we would be found faithful until you arrive for the glory of your precious name. In Jesus' name we ask these things, amen.