Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

All right, we are in Lesson 11. I think we got through Question 1 last week. So we are now in Lesson 11, the study on the Holy Spirit. Question 2. How would you explain the Spirit testifies with our spirit? So the question is derived from Romans 8, 15 through 16.

For you have not received the spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba, Father. The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. How would you explain the Spirit testifies with our spirit? What would you say testifies with our spirit? Maybe, first of all, who does the Holy Spirit testify to? Stunned silence. The believer. Testifies to the believer? The Holy Spirit does? Would it be to God? To God?

Yeah, if you go on in 17, and if children heirs also heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him. Again, the glorification with the father, and it's really the testifies with our spirit to the father.

That's the one he's testifying to. So back to the question, how would you explain the spirit testifies with our spirit? What does that mean? I'm trying to get it to testifying with our spirit. What does that mean? What does that mean, testifying with our spirit? What does testifying mean, anyway? I should have looked up the web search. Oops, I'm getting out of camera range here. What does testifying mean?

I'm just going to take a guess, but it feels like a unique form of communication with our spirits to the Father. It's a very positive statement. It's like He's got us covered. He's supporting us. He's leading the communication to the Father. I think that's good communication.

Even stronger than that, testifying. I've been an expert witness testimony. No, it's witnessing. Yeah, witnesses. You're a fact witness. You're providing information factually about whatever. I do it in water cases. So a witness testifying is somebody who knows about whatever the situation is, and they're explaining it. And again, Jimmy, piggybacking on what you said, it's testifying or this intimate communication between God the Father. So the witnessing is kind of a witnessing with our spirit. That means he's testifying with our spirit to the Father.

That's kind of an amazing thing when you think about that. You think about that when you wake up in the morning? The way right up, which is page 30, it says, the living word of the living God brought home to the soul by the Holy Spirit. That is witnessing the spirit. And that gives assurance. That was the way he looked at it. Yeah, and some more from Rite Out.

The Spirit bears testimony along with our own spirits. He has begotten us as children. We are born of the Spirit. He does not leave the child's feeble voice alone. We might often be tempted to doubt the testimony of our own renewed hearts, for the testimony is oft times very feeble. Sometimes it is but the cry of the child, an infant crying in the night with no language but a cry. But the spirit unites his mighty testimony with the feebleness of ours.

He bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God and gives his value to both testimonies. I thought that was good. We're weak in our abilities. or something, so the Holy Spirit is factually talking to God about, with our spirit, about us. Isn't it in verse 17 where, that we're children that then heirs, heirs of God, and join heirs with Christ? Yeah, that's what, yeah. That's what we listen to. Yeah, but it's testifying that we're children of God, that we're his children. And I'll get to some other verses in just a minute. Do you think that this testimony is to my consciousness something that my mind grasps a hold of and understands, or is it something beyond that? Answering honestly, I don't think we understand it.

Yeah, that's a good point. I ran across a paper this week written by George Mueller 125 years ago, and he talks about how for years he got up in the morning and he prayed specifically about stuff. And then one day he just thought, I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm just going to be quiet with the Lord and let him talk to me in his word. And this paper goes on. It's just, it's really amazing how He said, the whole purpose now is to find food for my new man. Yeah. Isn't that cool? That's cool. You know, that's, that's, you know, one of those things. And, you know, I think I said many times over to you, just read, read the script. Sure.

Not that you take, you know, for the class, I study a lot and very detailed and all that, but on a daily basis, I just read and I just It goes to, I think, the intimacy with God, the John 17, our union, our intimacy with Him. And we actually went through it in these verses, which I'll get to, Abba, Father. That's the intimacy that we have. And all these queries specific, it's coming down to just Daddy.

Yeah, and he talked about how he would have a verse, but he would roll over it really slow. you know, waiting for the Spirit of God. He said his biggest impediment was he was so busy. I mean, this guy, 117 schools he started and orphanages and, you know, I mean, nobody could handle the schedule he had. But for him to get up every morning and just be quiet and just roll over these verses really slow and let the Spirit of God We'll get into a little bit of that personal side.

In the morning, that's where I, every morning, read a chapter from John through up to Revelation. And I read a chapter every day. And then I read Hungry Heart. That's before I ever turn on a news, read anything, emails, nothing. Because I find once I touch the world, it's over. And so my personal is that I get up every morning I go and do that, my quiet time.

You turn on the news, Courtney? Shit, I actually don't anymore, actually. You're actually, you caught me. I don't actually, you know, it's like, I used to watch at least the local news, but that was so cruddy now that I don't even watch it anymore. So I find myself, which is very peaceful. I don't know what's going on in the world a lot of times, which is very nice. I get some when I log into my email, I see headlines, touch on that as we get through this.

Newell also had this on the Roman side, too. The manner of communication between the Holy Spirit and our spirit is a profound mystery. Indeed, all man's vaunted knowledge is challenged by Jehovah's Word to Job. Who hath given understanding to the mind? We do not speak now with the mere purpose of ridiculing man's vaunted knowledge, but simply to state the facts. Nothing about the quality or nature of spirit God in this passage in Romans when we read does not address himself at all to the human intellect But they cut to the consciousness of his saints the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit There is no certainty comparable with this I Really like that Courtney, I was going to read that just right before you read it.

I had that pulled up and was thinking about it. So that's really interesting. But anyway, not to take away your steam there, but I was like, man, I was just about to say that. their worship in strange ways. Also, the other part that Newell brings up is about the life of Christ, in terms of the witness and testimony. So there's an interesting piece there as well.

Yeah, I used to always kind of surprise me when we were It's like, wow, that's spirit. I wouldn't have thought them to be together, but yeah, so I understand how it works sometimes. One of the other things which came to mind when I saw this about the spirit witnessing or testifying with arms, it went back to our Roman study, again in 826 and 827. And I was amazed when I read this, when we were studying this. In the same way, the spirit also helps our weakness to pray, as we should. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

And he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." That floored me when I started to think about that. He, God, who searches the hearts, knows the mind of us? He knows the mind of the Spirit who indwells us.

And I thought, well, that's kind of odd. He's, you know, we pray and we think and, you know, all this. But he searches the mind of the Holy Spirit in dwellingness. And then when he patches that together with witnessing with our spirit, it makes sense. That he's searching, because the Spirit comes beside our spirit, and we don't know what to do. So the Father actually searches the mind of the Spirit rather, really, than us.

And I thought that would, you know, when you tie that to the witness of the Spirit and coming beside us, testifying along with us, that makes sense. And then we also get into what he was saying about, you know, what is our knowledge versus the knowledge of the Spirit and God. It makes perfect sense that the witness, the coming beside, is where God sees us linked with the spirit, and he's checking the mind and the spirit out.

So I just thought that was kind of an interesting twist of that. It's like a lot of these, where I think it's, you know, we think we hear that verse, and I'm thinking about he intercedes for us, and it's for us. But it's really checking the mind and the spirit out.

This is, you know, several of these ones, like, When I really look at verses after I've thought about them and misread them, it's like, I go back to James 1, where I always used to memorize that. It was one of the first things I ever memorized, just because I'm memorizing. And I always say, yeah, consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing, and I always say, dude, well, that's testing us. It's, yeah, what does the verse say?

Testing of our faith. He's not testing our resolve, our strength against things. He's testing our faith. It took me 20 years to figure that out. When I looked at the verse, it's like this. He searches the mind of the Spirit. Again, just some interesting stuff.

I think that when the Spirit comes beside us and testifies along with us, God searches the mind of the Spirit. Well, one thing about this verse is that it talks about a specific thing that He testifies for us on our behalf. So, at the end of verse 16, what is that specifically? with our spirit that, well, we'll get to that, touch a little bit on that, but it's basically, yes, that we are children of God. And again, that's kind of what we tested a little bit on question one last week about what is the, stealing from God's side and what's our side. And then we talked about that about, that the Holy Spirit is, what would our side be?

And that was the part where is it showing, is this showing or witnessing that we are God's people, or is this seeing the Holy Spirit of Christ through his people? There's a distinction. That we are God's people, or do we see Christ and the Holy Spirit? What is the witnessing? Mine at the end of that is I think it's both. Shows that, and the verse But I think it also says, it shows the Holy Spirit of Christ in us. So I think it's kind of a two-edged sword in the witnessing. So back to JD, the Spirit itself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.

I was just going to add the piece that this is a family issue with our relationship to God. It's very personal. Which, let me see here. Yeah, we'll get to it a little bit in this next one. Yeah, I tend to not stay on track sometimes. I get accused by Bob every time, Bob Echol every time I'm in the study up there. I jump ahead a verse and I get five verses ahead and say, I do that myself, so.

Hey, Courtney, just going back to the previous scripture you read, which I absolutely love, because I think about how feeble my prayers are most of the time, and to know that God is searching all my condition, my heart, and he's communicating with the Father and the Son, and that they're having conversations about us and my needs, and our needs, and your needs, it's pretty spectacular. We're in God's hands, right? Oh, it's incredible when you think about it. Like I said, he's searching the Holy... That's what floored me when I studied that. He's searching the mind of the Spirit. That's incredible. Who knows us better than the Spirit indwelling us? You know? And the communication between the Father and the Holy Spirit is they're one. So, yeah, I mean, when you put it all together, it's an amazing thought. and how comforting it is.

And they care that much. It's amazing. Individually. This isn't like a corporate, like Israel, the nation of Israel. This is you. So yeah, no, it's, it's, you know, very exciting when you really start thinking about it. So let me move on. Um, because it touched on something. So you need to touch on here.

Explain why the understanding of adoption should have such a profound effect on the believer. From right out, it says, the spirit of bondage to fear has left us, and in the consciousness of our sonship, and as born of God, we turn in the spirit of adoption to him, saying in the home language Hebrew, Abba, that is father. How sweet is that word to the father's ear. Do any of you that is a father ever forget the thrill when you heard your babe's first lisping of that word? is another reference, because ye are sons of God, has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father, that's Galatians 4, 5. And then Newell also had it testifying about with our spirit. With our spirit, we're not told that the spirit bears witness to our spirit, as if the knowledge that we are God's children were some unheard of, undreamed matter to our own spirits.

But he bears witness with our spirit. showing that the child of God, having had communicated to him God's own nature, 2 Peter 1.4, Christ's own life, 1 Corinthians 6.17, is fundamentally, necessarily conscious of the glorious fact of phileo, relationship with God, sonship, or children. Along with his consciousness, the spirit indwelling witness, enabling us, moving us to cry, Abba, Father. There is life before this, just as the newborn babe has life and breath before it forms a syllable. It is significant that the spirit indwelling is the power whereby we cry, Abba, Father, by his enlightenment, his encouragement, and his energy. So again, kind of going back what this adoption means.

We also we saw that in in 17. When we got into it in the Romans class about crying out a father, I remember, and this probably floors all of you who were nodding there, but also I know especially Lindy, when I said this, do you feel comfortable in the morning or whenever you talk to God, call him daddy? Do you ever say daddy? communicate like that to God? I mean, do you ever do that?

It influences most believers. But what does he say? What does he say? He says, cry out, I'm a father. Daddy. I go back to Mike's neighbor, who is an Orthodox Jew. When he heard his kids talking to his dad, what'd he call him? Abba. That's what he called him, Abba. He's telling us to cry out Abba, daddy, father, intimately.

Do you ever think about that when you talk to God? Or is it very stilted? You know, I think about this from the brethren side of life. I always thought, you know, because we had a remembrance service every scripture, which was good, or pray. And they'd get in these long, beautiful prayers.

And I thought, man, I And then, you know, as I got to seeing about daddy, did I ever go to my father and say, oh, great father, you know, would you please listen to me today? You know, my earthly father, did I ever go to him like that? Never. And yet we go before the father in this very kind of sterile, Reverend, but but he wants us to come before him crying daddy father That's how much he wants us to come and communicate And so I just remember like he's just like I can't do that. I can't do that.

Yeah as you're talking I'm thinking about How far down the road a spiritual growth that this becomes real in a believer's life. He's got to understand, one, that he's securely saved, two, that he was identified with Christ and his cross, that he has been separated from everything that's not pleasing to God, which is the old man, resurrected at Christ's position. All of those kinds of things have to come into play here so that you you feel comfortable, you're not looking back thinking, well, maybe I don't have the authority or maybe he doesn't love me quite that much. Especially if I went to an orthodox, ritualistic based denomination growing up, it's all about separation. Christ third. God only sees us in Christ. I mean, if that's the case, what's the relationship between Christ and God the Father? Read John 17.

I always say that. Just read that and see that intimacy. We have that same intimacy with Him now. And wouldn't you say that it really does a major job that the Holy Spirit has is to persuade us that this is okay? And that's where I get to. That's really what you get to.

I had a couple of them that hit me. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to turn the light on so I can read this. My old age eyes. In the hungry heart, there were a couple of them that hit me this week. Let me get to them here. Oh, you're doing that, Courtney. Thank you for that. That was awesome. That means a lot to me. It's really, when you get to it, it's amazing.

I mean, that's what he wants us. That's the intimacy he wants us to have with him, to be able to call him daddy. And mine is, you know... I think he had more relationship with him. We'll touch on that a little bit when I read, but when he had that relationship, I mean, I'm talking to God all day long. It's not just my quiet time in the morning. I'm trying to, I'm just talking to him all day long and in a personal voice. I just, I see him as intimately concerned about me. And so I should have a relationship that's every bit as much personal back. So anyway, this 710 was kind of a good one.

There aren't many truly happy Christians, simply because there aren't many who really abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our risen Lord is the source of our happiness as we rest in Him, triumphant over circumstances, not hopelessly underneath them. Happy is the abiding believer, hid with Christ in God's blessings. I must not only see my position in the Lord Jesus, but I must come near to the One who set me there. Many are disappointed that after hearing with delight and receiving the truth of their position, they are not more affected by it. The reason is that they rest too much in a position and have not occupied themselves increasingly with the risen Lord, have not drawn near to him, and recognize him as the only one who can make it all experiential in them. is a living person now in heavenly glory, really the object of our hearts.

For some time after I knew the Savior, I used to think of him as one who had lived and died on earth long years ago. And I well remember the day when I knelt down with a dear brother who prayed that we might know the Lord Jesus as a living person in heavenly glory. And it dawned upon me that there was it present. And I will remember the day when I knelt down and where a dear brother who prayed then might know the Lord Jesus as a living person in heaven of glory. And it dawned upon me that there was a present object for my heart in heaven. Our hearts will never be satisfied until the glorified Lord Jesus becomes How many times do we think it's kind of, you know, he lived, he died, he's not personal, he's not living. The other one which... Hey, Courtney, which number was that one that was awesome? 710. But I think even more, this puts it succinct, very succinct. And this is 716.

If the Lord Jesus is not positively before the soul, it is enough. The enemy's work is done. I thought that was pretty cool. I thought, if the Lord Jesus is not positive for the soul, it's enough. The enemy is one. I thought, you know, when I think about all the intimacy and all that and spending time, you know, this is me looking in the mirror.

How much time do I spend with the Lord each day? And that really is, if I love somebody and they're the object of my heart, I want to spend as much time with them as I can. I think about how many distractions we have in the world, and how many distractions work, business, family, everything else. But the key is to spend time with them, quality time with them, by which we can say, daddy.

I think if you wake up one day and realize that you don't spend enough time, or you'd really like to spend more time with him, but you look at your schedule and you say, well, how am I gonna do that? I think if you ask him to make the time for you, he'll do it. Yeah, well, it's like Jimmy, you ask for a better relationship, yeah, you answer a little, that came in a different way, but you know. We like to kid about that, but be careful what you ask for, because.

You'll get a lesson real hard, real fast on that one. It hit me through all this, witnessing the intimacy that we have where we cry out, Abba, Father. It's really spending time with somebody you love. That's where the intimacy comes from, that's where the relationship comes from, and that's where he wants us. I think that's the point of the hungry heart. A hungry heart wants that relationship. And I think as you go closer, it just draws you more and more into that relationship as you spend time with him. And for me personally, again, it's just before the world touches me with all the distractions, I spend time in the morning in his word and then in the hungry heart, which amazingly hits very, it's like we were talking about how amazingly messages in two different meetings come up.

And I think God is in control of all things. And I rest at that time. And he has the ability to have the right words at the right time. So anyway, I think we are over time. But just think about those things and the time you spend with the Lord, with enough time to have a relationship where you can call him daddy. That's where he wants us to be. So anyway, let's close.

Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you for, again, just the time to look into your word. We thank you each and every time that we open up your word. It's the living word. And we see new life, new things, new wonders of our relationship with you. And we just thank you that you are a living God by which we can come before you and cry, Daddy. We have that intimacy with you that you want us to be so close to you and have such a relationship that we can cry out anytime, anyplace, anywhere, Daddy, and come before.

So we just rest in the fact that you want that relationship and you crave that relationship from us. And we just thank you that you have given us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to convince us of our position, not only, but our relationship with you. And so we just rest in the facts of your word that tell us these things. And we just pray for the, again, the Holy Spirit to convince us and convict us Just thank you for this time. We pray for the next meeting, too, that, again, you prepare our hearts to receive it. And we thank you, again, for any time we can open up your word and fellowship together. We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.