Wednesday 06/24/15
Series: Abiding in the Vine VI
Message – Abiding in the Vine VI.mp3
Abiding in the Vine…
- Abiding is to be and remain vitally united with our Vine(Jesus), one with Him in heart, mind, and will.
- Three recurring themes in the verses we are looking at are…
- Obey His commands
- Love the brethren
- Sensitivity and submission to the Holy Spirit
This third one is the one we will be spending some time on.
Remember that our goal is to learn how to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit so that we can walk in submission to the Spirit’s influence.
So I think it is helpful to learn some of the attributes of the Spirit so we know Who we are dealing with.
Typically I think learning about the Spirit seems to be a little more nebulas and so I want to help to bring the Holy Spirit into a little better focus because it need not be this way. The scriptures give us knowledge of the Spirit so we can be better familiar with this very important member of the Godhead.
The Godhead
Let me stress one thing – the early Jewish concept of God was much more broad than it is today. Even from the very beginning, God was seen as a plurality of persons rather than a single individual.
Beginning in Genesis you have, “Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness” So God made man after THEIR image.
The famous Hebrew phrase, the Shema says, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one Lord…” has been taken to mean that God is comprised of only one entity, but that is not true to the Hebrew language. The word, “One” in the phrase “one Lord”, is the same Hebrew word as, is used concerning marriage – “the two shall become ONE flesh”. One flesh does not mean they cease to be two physical individuals, but that these two individuals begin to act as one – in unity.
It is the Hebrew word Echad and is used to expresses agreement or unity among persons.
In fact, the best way to describe the name God that I have ever heard is it is a singular noun that represents a plurality of persons. Like the word Team.
I only bring all this up, because it is essential that you realize we are not dealing with a single entity with multiple personality disorder – we are dealing with multiple personalities Who express themselves through perfect unity and agreement.
We are going to begin with three verses that illustrate the tri-unity of God and offer you a reason “WHY” we are talking about this in the middle of dealing with Abiding in the Vine.
Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. (16) And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever, (17) the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you. (18) I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.” – John 14:15-18
John 16:13-16 says, “However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come. (14) He will glorify Me, for He will receive of Mine and will announce it to you. (15) All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and will announce it to you. (16) A little while and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”
1 Jn. 2:27 “But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him.”
The Holy Spirit as part of the feminine aspect of God
Now let me say at the onset that I am NOT saying that any part of the Godhead is female OR male as we understand the genders. I’m not claiming they aren’t either!
In all honesty I do not know and I think it is reckless and irresponsible to act like any of us do know. All we know for certain is that maleness and femaleness are NOT original to this creation, but are expressions of the Divine!
The Holy Spirit is the third part of the trinity (tri-unity) and in many ways is more feminine than masculine. Remember as I referenced earlier, in the garden God said “Let US make mankind in Our image…so God made mankind in Their image, in the image of God created he them, Male and Female.” So both Male and Female are different, yet equally important expressions of God.
To illustrate, the name by which God revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob of El Shaddai. This name has distinct feminine overtones including one translation of the name which is “the breasted one”.
God revealed Himself to Abraham by the name El Shaddai to provide an image of God as a loving and nurturing God, much like a mother nurtures and nourishes her infant through breast feeding. Even the verses I offered above has the Holy Spirit as a nurturer. One Who does not let us remain orphans, but comes to us as a mother does a child. So the Holy Spirit is often presented in very female like roles like…
- Reminding the children of what the Father has said.
- Maintaining the Father’s household.
- Teaching us as children how to live in agreement with the Father & with the Son.
- The comforting and consoling one.
- The Spirit is known as our helper, our encourager, the gift giver…etc.
Like a mother, the Holy Spirit is the One part of the Godhead Who seems moved to grief (sorrow, sadness, heaviness) over how siblings get along with each other and treat each other – especially when it come to what we allow to come out of our mouths.
Look at Eph 4:29-32, “Let no harmful word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for building others up according to the need, so that it gives grace to those who hear it. (30) Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (31) Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and quarreling and slander, along with all malice. (32) Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also forgave you.”
Also, the Father and the Son show distinct protection over the Spirit in that They will endure and even forgive blasphemy against Themselves, but NEVER against Her. The connections to the feminine are extensive with the Holy Spirit.
Matt. 12:31-32 “Therefore I tell you, every sin will be forgiven people and even every blasphemies they might speak, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Section 1: Knowing the Holy Spirit
What did I show you last week was the single, primary topic of all of scripture?
The Kingdom of God
So it should be no surprise that the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of the Kingdom..correct?
Matt. 12:22-28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
John 14:17 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”
Notice the word “helper” is used for the Holy Spirit. It isn’t the same word or even the exact same meaning, but it is a similar idea to woman being given to man as his help-mate. Only in our relationship with the Spirit we are most certainly NOT the head.
Also “another” helper (comforter). The word another is the Greek word állos meaning of equal quality (not equal authority, but equal quality). The word Heteros would have meant one of another quality or a different quality, but it was made clear that those of us who are discipled by the Holy Spirit are receiving NO LESS quality aid than the disciples did in the person of Jesus Himself. I send you another Comforter, Helper, advisor and proxy who is equal in quality to Myself.
John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
All of these were in the future tense because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given…correct?
John 7:37-39 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Now, as I listened to the recording of your small groups there seemed to be some confusion about the Holy Spirit being given to the disciples by Jesus breathing on them, and the Holy Spirit coming on the day of Pentecost.
So let’s examine that in closing and we will pick back up here next week.
John 20:15-22 “Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”–and that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Luke 24:33-49 “And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Acts 2:1-4 “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The word for filled here is VERY misleading. It is pronounced like you are saying the word PLAYDOO with a lisp. Pletho.
It means, “to be wholly imbued, affected, influenced with or by something.”
I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
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Blessings!
