The Speaking Spirit

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.960 If you're able to remain standing, please do as we turn to First Corinthians, 2 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:13.750 chapter twelve. First Corinthians Chapter Twelve, verses one through three. This 3 00:00:14.269 --> 00:00:21.390 section begins another major section in the book. Encompasses chapters twelve, thirteen and 4 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:25.460 fourteen, and you'll hear that as Paul makes a little bit of a transition 5 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:31.780 here at the beginning of chapter twelve. So let's give our attention to God's 6 00:00:31.780 --> 00:00:38.810 word now. First Corinthians twelve, verses one through three. Now, concerning 7 00:00:38.850 --> 00:00:44.289 spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You 8 00:00:44.409 --> 00:00:47.609 know that when you were pagans you were led astray. I mute idols. 9 00:00:48.170 --> 00:00:52.759 However, you were led. Therefore, I want you to understand that no 10 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:58.320 one speaking in the spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed, and no 11 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:04.069 one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. May God bless 12 00:01:04.150 --> 00:01:26.379 his word to us. You may be seen kids. Have you ever been 13 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:30.900 in a restaurant? Your parents said do you don't forget your manners. Right, 14 00:01:30.700 --> 00:01:36.250 you're in a place you're not. You're not in your bedroom reading cheetos 15 00:01:36.329 --> 00:01:41.129 on your floor. You're in a restaurant. Right, use your restaurant voice. 16 00:01:42.090 --> 00:01:46.409 Speak like you have. You a gives appropriate here. act in a 17 00:01:46.530 --> 00:01:53.120 way that is appropriate here. Sometimes, when we move from one place to 18 00:01:53.239 --> 00:02:00.000 another place, our behaviors need to change, the ways that we act, 19 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:04.790 maybe even the ways that we think, need to to modify. Well, 20 00:02:04.870 --> 00:02:07.710 that's true, not just of our manners and those kind of things, but 21 00:02:07.789 --> 00:02:15.539 but in spiritual terms as well. The book of Colossians says that we have 22 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:23.180 been rescued out of a dominion of darkness by God and brought into the Kingdom 23 00:02:23.219 --> 00:02:29.659 of his beloved son. You used to be in this place, this awful, 24 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:35.849 terrible dominion of darkness. Once, the scriptures say, you were children 25 00:02:35.969 --> 00:02:40.370 of Wrath. Once your father was the devil. Once you did deeds that 26 00:02:40.689 --> 00:02:46.039 broke the law, hated God and fleed the light. But now things are 27 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:51.039 new. Now things are different. You belong to a new place, a 28 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:58.319 new kingdom over which the Lord reigns and his light shines. Citizens of a 29 00:02:58.439 --> 00:03:02.909 heavenly kingdom, and that's to that produces new things. We live in a 30 00:03:04.030 --> 00:03:08.110 different way because we are in a different place, even if physically we are 31 00:03:08.229 --> 00:03:13.340 still here in the world. Jesus says, my kingdom is not of this 32 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:16.740 world. He says a Peter says in First Peter, as we've been studying 33 00:03:17.379 --> 00:03:23.020 on Wednesday nights in the west side fellowship. Peter calls us a strangers and 34 00:03:23.180 --> 00:03:29.129 exiles in this world, even though we might be technically citizens of the United 35 00:03:29.169 --> 00:03:34.250 States or of some other country. We think of ourselves in a different way, 36 00:03:34.409 --> 00:03:38.889 of belonging here but not quite belonging here, and that that leads to 37 00:03:39.330 --> 00:03:46.520 certain kinds of actions. We don't want to forget ourselves. We don't want 38 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:50.439 to forget our manners. We don't want to forget that we are called to 39 00:03:50.520 --> 00:03:54.360 be salt and light. We don't want to forget that we represent the name 40 00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:59.870 of the king when we go into the world as those who have been baptized 41 00:03:59.949 --> 00:04:02.229 into his name, as those who have been marked by him. We are 42 00:04:02.669 --> 00:04:09.590 his representatives. And people are watching. The scriptures say they're watching and like 43 00:04:09.990 --> 00:04:13.099 strangers, are often watched. Right. Have you ever been a stranger and 44 00:04:13.259 --> 00:04:15.500 walked into a place where you knew you were a stranger and you felt the 45 00:04:15.660 --> 00:04:19.779 sense that you were being watched? Well, it's because you are being watched. 46 00:04:19.819 --> 00:04:25.209 Right. Have you ever seen somebody in your neighborhood that doesn't belong there 47 00:04:25.250 --> 00:04:29.209 and you just give a little extra attention to them. What's that car doing 48 00:04:29.290 --> 00:04:33.170 there? That cars never there. People pay attention to strangers and beloved. 49 00:04:33.290 --> 00:04:40.120 We're strangers. We're strangers in a world that we once belong to but don't 50 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:45.839 belong to anymore. The world is watching in the world is paying attention our 51 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:49.319 witness matters and of course, God is watching to he desires for us to 52 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:54.750 represent him well, and not just so he looks good, but he's trying 53 00:04:54.829 --> 00:05:00.470 to produce, and he is producing in US godliness, holiness, spiritual things. 54 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:06.069 He's giving to a spiritual gifts and he calls us to live in an 55 00:05:06.069 --> 00:05:12.420 accord with that. As we've seen throughout the book of Corinthians, the Corinthians, 56 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:15.740 like all of us, are struggling. They keep getting out of step 57 00:05:15.819 --> 00:05:20.339 with that, they keep forgetting who they are in Christ and they find themselves 58 00:05:20.449 --> 00:05:28.050 doing these things that the Lord says, no, you shouldn't be doing this, 59 00:05:28.170 --> 00:05:32.410 this doesn't make sense for you as Christians. Yes, you were once 60 00:05:32.569 --> 00:05:36.439 pagans, yes, you once belong to the dominion of darkness, but not 61 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:42.920 anymore. And as Paul transitions to a new section in twelve, thirteen and 62 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:48.279 fourteen, he he addresses another issue, another another thing that has been a 63 00:05:48.439 --> 00:05:55.029 problem, another way in which they are bringing their worldly values into the church 64 00:05:55.069 --> 00:06:00.629 and into their lives as a community and their lives in the world. The 65 00:06:00.829 --> 00:06:06.139 thing that he mentions is very broadly at the beginning of twelve, is spiritual 66 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:12.699 gifts. You see the topic change in the way he puts it now concerning 67 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.779 spiritual gifts. I do not want you to be uninformed. He's moving to 68 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:20.769 this new subject. He wants to talk about the way the Greek puts it. 69 00:06:21.370 --> 00:06:26.810 Nay Moon, sorry, name Mati cone, but you can translate something 70 00:06:26.889 --> 00:06:33.639 like spiritualities or spiritual things. Here it's translated spiritual gifts because of the coming 71 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:38.399 context in a lot of discussion about spiritual gifts. It's just one word. 72 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:43.800 It could also be translated breath things or win things, but we're right to 73 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:48.709 translate it spiritual things or spiritualities because we know from the next three chapters he's 74 00:06:48.750 --> 00:06:55.750 talking about the Holy Spirit a lot from a lot of different things. In 75 00:06:55.910 --> 00:06:59.829 other words, he wants us to think about the Holy Spirit, the Holy 76 00:06:59.910 --> 00:07:03.500 Spirit of God and things relating to him, including the gifts of the Holy 77 00:07:03.540 --> 00:07:08.259 Spirit, which will think about on the next time we come to this passage. 78 00:07:09.620 --> 00:07:13.379 For now. There's another aspect, though, related to the gifts, 79 00:07:13.459 --> 00:07:16.970 that Paul wants us to think about, and the aspect that he wants us 80 00:07:16.970 --> 00:07:23.050 to think about is the contrast between the idols that they once served and were 81 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:27.769 led to and by, and the Holy Spirit that they are led by. 82 00:07:27.970 --> 00:07:31.439 Now. Notice how he says this. He says, you know that when 83 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:34.720 you were pagans, right the past, the dominion of darkness, when you 84 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:42.120 were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols. However, you were 85 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:47.069 led. I therefore don't I want you to understand that no one speaking in 86 00:07:47.269 --> 00:07:51.430 the spirit of God. Here's the contrast. Ever, says, and we'll 87 00:07:51.430 --> 00:07:55.310 get to how this is translated here in the ESV, it's Jesus is a 88 00:07:55.430 --> 00:08:00.500 cursed and no one says Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. So 89 00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:05.100 remember this past, right, remember how you were Pagans and led astray. 90 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:09.899 Now think about the Holy Spirit in contrast with that, and that's what we're 91 00:08:09.939 --> 00:08:16.769 going to do this morning. Let's focus on three differences between idols and the 92 00:08:16.889 --> 00:08:22.329 Holy Spirit. Will think about how we are led. Are, I'm sorry, 93 00:08:22.410 --> 00:08:26.889 how they lead us on, how they speak and the effect they have. 94 00:08:26.129 --> 00:08:28.639 So how they lead, how they speak in the effect they have on 95 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:33.240 us. So, first of all, the contrast between idols and the Holy 96 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:39.840 Spirit in how they lead differently. The first difference has to do with leadership, 97 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:46.070 and it's complete opposites, complete opposites, Paul says, that is pagans 98 00:08:48.070 --> 00:08:52.870 as pagans as those formerly on or this dominion of darkness again them quoting Colossians. 99 00:08:52.950 --> 00:08:58.460 there. They were led astray by mute or, more literally, no 100 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:03.740 voice, idols. They don't have a voice, they can't talk. That's 101 00:09:03.779 --> 00:09:09.529 what mute means. That's a really interesting thing to say, isn't it? 102 00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:16.090 And it's kind of why he adds this addition. However, you were led, 103 00:09:16.169 --> 00:09:20.929 because there's kind of an iron and irony there, isn't it? The 104 00:09:20.090 --> 00:09:26.440 fact that you are being led by something that doesn't speak speaks to the ridiculousness 105 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:31.960 of what's going on, the stupidity of what's going on, the fact that 106 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:37.830 they are following something that cannot move, that they are listening to something that 107 00:09:39.070 --> 00:09:46.389 cannot speak, obeying something that cannot command. That's how they were led astray. 108 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:50.629 They were led astray to mute idols. That however, you are led, 109 00:09:50.789 --> 00:09:54.419 and there were all kinds of ways that we are led to idolatry. 110 00:09:54.220 --> 00:10:00.460 And in thinking about this, Paul highlights the utter ridiculousness and the evils of 111 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:03.700 idolatry, and I want to pause on that for a moment because it's it's 112 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:09.210 so important, and we'll do that by looking at just a couple scriptures that 113 00:10:09.330 --> 00:10:13.649 help us understand this point. Two places of several in which God impresses this 114 00:10:13.850 --> 00:10:20.090 point on our hearts. So feel free to turn with me or simply listen. 115 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:31.679 First to Psalm one hundred and fifteen, psalm one hundred and fifteen, 116 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:46.029 versus three through nine. The point here is to understand, to feel deeply, 117 00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:52.860 the contrast between the Lord, our God, and the idols for a 118 00:10:52.899 --> 00:10:56.580 hundred fifteen salm a hundred fifteen, verse three. Our God is in the 119 00:10:56.659 --> 00:11:03.370 heavens, he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, 120 00:11:05.409 --> 00:11:09.009 the work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak, 121 00:11:09.210 --> 00:11:13.529 eyes but do not see, they have ears but do not hear, noses 122 00:11:15.210 --> 00:11:18.879 but do not smell, they have hands but do not feel, feet but 123 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:22.559 do not walk, and they do not make a sound in their throat. 124 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:31.039 Those who make them become like them. So do all who trust in them. 125 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:35.029 Oh Israel, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their 126 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:41.110 shield. So we have a contrast here in Psalm fifteen, and also a 127 00:11:41.269 --> 00:11:45.990 warning. Don't be you make these idols, you serve these idols, you 128 00:11:46.029 --> 00:11:52.059 worship these idols, you will become like these idols, one who is unseeing, 129 00:11:52.419 --> 00:12:01.340 unfeeling, ineffective. Now let's turn to Jeremiah ten, the Prophet Jeremiah, 130 00:12:01.379 --> 00:12:05.850 Chapter Ten, and I'll begin at verse one and Read Through Sixteen. 131 00:12:05.970 --> 00:12:20.600 I think again, we have in this passage this great contrast between things, 132 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:28.320 objects that are made by humans and the ever living God who has created all 133 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:35.990 things by the word of his power. So, Jeremiah ten, hear the 134 00:12:35.070 --> 00:12:39.710 word of the Lord. Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, 135 00:12:39.789 --> 00:12:43.710 a house of Israel. Thus says the Lord, learn not the way of 136 00:12:43.830 --> 00:12:46.860 the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens, because the 137 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:52.659 nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the people are Vanity. 138 00:12:52.740 --> 00:12:58.769 A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the 139 00:12:58.889 --> 00:13:03.129 hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold. They fasten 140 00:13:03.289 --> 00:13:09.450 it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like 141 00:13:09.649 --> 00:13:13.279 scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak. They have to be 142 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:18.799 carried it for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for 143 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:22.519 they cannot do evil either. It is in them to do a good. 144 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:28.549 There is none like you, oh Lord. You are great and your name 145 00:13:28.629 --> 00:13:31.870 is great in might. Who would not fear you, oh king of the 146 00:13:31.909 --> 00:13:35.710 nations, for this is your due, for among all the wise ones of 147 00:13:35.789 --> 00:13:39.429 the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like you. They 148 00:13:39.470 --> 00:13:46.620 are both stupid and foolish. The instruction of idols is but would beaten. 149 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:52.299 Silver is brought from Tarsius and gold from OOF as. They are the work 150 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:56.169 of the craftsmen and the hands of the Goldsmith. Their clothing is violet and 151 00:13:56.289 --> 00:14:01.370 purple. They are the work of skilled men. But the Lord is the 152 00:14:01.529 --> 00:14:05.090 true God, he is the Living God and the everlasting King. At his 153 00:14:05.330 --> 00:14:11.960 wrath the earthquakes and the nations cannot endure his IG indignation. Thus shall you 154 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:16.200 say to them? The gods who did not make the heavens and the Earth 155 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:22.440 shall perish from the Earth and from under the heavens. It is he who 156 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:26.509 made the earth by his power, who established the world, by his wisdom 157 00:14:26.870 --> 00:14:31.110 and by his understanding, stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, 158 00:14:31.590 --> 00:14:35.070 there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the 159 00:14:35.190 --> 00:14:39.659 midst rise from the ends of the Earth. He makes lightning for the rain, 160 00:14:39.899 --> 00:14:45.460 he brings forth the wind from his store house has. Every man is 161 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:50.659 stupid and without knowledge. Every Goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, 162 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:56.970 for his images are false and there is no breath in them. They are 163 00:14:58.370 --> 00:15:03.929 worthless, a work of delusion, and at the time of their punishment they 164 00:15:03.009 --> 00:15:07.720 shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, 165 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:13.120 for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe 166 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:16.799 of inheritance, of his inheritance. The Lord of hosts is his name. 167 00:15:22.509 --> 00:15:28.950 Do you feel the spirit of God, the living spirit of God, impressing 168 00:15:28.149 --> 00:15:35.259 on You, speaking to you his words? Even now he's telling us about 169 00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:39.379 himself, he's telling us about who he is, about the world that he 170 00:15:39.419 --> 00:15:45.980 has made, his power and his might, and meanwhile there are these foolish 171 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:50.649 things like scarecrows in a cou cucumber field, so which people are bowing down 172 00:15:50.690 --> 00:15:56.330 to and fearing. The workman goes into the woods, he cuts down a 173 00:15:56.450 --> 00:16:03.169 trip. He's working so hard to create something that has to be fastened down 174 00:16:03.289 --> 00:16:07.200 because it can't even stand up on its own. Somebody might bump it and 175 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:12.759 it would come crashing down. Meanwhile, there's God, who is raising mountains 176 00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:18.480 out of the seas and causing the midst to rise, and lightning and thunder 177 00:16:18.629 --> 00:16:26.750 and birth and death and all the rest. How is what is the difference 178 00:16:26.830 --> 00:16:37.340 between how God leads and how the idols lead? Difference doesn't even seem to 179 00:16:37.379 --> 00:16:44.940 begin to capture the great, vast distance that is between those two things. 180 00:16:45.940 --> 00:16:52.250 To follow an idol is to become like an idol. It's foolishness, it's 181 00:16:52.769 --> 00:16:59.690 stupid, it's dangerous. To listen to one that cannot speak is vanity. 182 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:07.720 So what's actually going on then, in idolatry? Why All the commotion? 183 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:11.680 Why all the fuss? Why are people paying attention to the skies and divination 184 00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:15.869 and all these things? Well, as Paul explained earlier, and we'd have 185 00:17:15.950 --> 00:17:19.789 to go back and look at those passages, but he says earlier that it's 186 00:17:19.990 --> 00:17:26.349 demons who are behind these things. The idols themselves are foolish and stupid things. 187 00:17:26.430 --> 00:17:32.180 They don't do anything good or evil, but the demons that are using 188 00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:41.099 them are intentionally trying to hurt you, to destroy you. Demons which do 189 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:48.130 have wills, which do speak, which do desire things and work towards them. 190 00:17:48.250 --> 00:17:52.369 But they don't desire our blessing, they don't desire our flourishing, they 191 00:17:52.410 --> 00:18:00.440 don't desire us to have communion with God. They desire separation, they desire 192 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:04.680 vanity, destruction, death. That's what they want for us. They are 193 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:10.640 our enemies and we have to treat them as such, as those who are 194 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:15.950 condemned by God, as those whom we are waging a war against. We 195 00:18:15.150 --> 00:18:22.910 cannot be naive about this. They use these physical objects to cause us to 196 00:18:22.950 --> 00:18:32.259 chase foolishly after deep needs. People run after idols, and not because they 197 00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:37.539 think gold is something special in and of itself, but because we as humans, 198 00:18:37.619 --> 00:18:45.210 we know we need safety and meaning and love and honor and forgiveness and 199 00:18:45.369 --> 00:18:51.089 community. These deep needs are what these idols promise to provide. What the 200 00:18:51.289 --> 00:18:55.450 false God say here? Do this, serve me in this way and all, 201 00:18:55.569 --> 00:18:57.359 take care of you. I'll give you rain, I'll give you blessings, 202 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:02.000 I'll give you children, I'll protect you from your enemies and all these 203 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:08.400 sorts of things that we need. But even when we get them, they 204 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:12.789 destroy us. Even when we get the things when we want even when we 205 00:19:12.910 --> 00:19:18.589 chase after our sinful desires and we obtain them, they end up destroying us. 206 00:19:18.029 --> 00:19:23.660 The scripture says the wages of sin is death. That's what it earns, 207 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:32.980 that's what sin earns. So idols are mess we don't touch them, 208 00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:38.569 we stay away from them, we flee them and we cling only to God 209 00:19:41.690 --> 00:19:45.450 because, in contrast the Holy Spirit, he leads us in a very different 210 00:19:45.490 --> 00:19:52.730 way to very different ends. How does the spirit lead us? Well, 211 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:56.400 consider Romans Eight, a few verses from their first Romans Eight, five and 212 00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:00.039 six. For those who live according to the flesh, that their minds on 213 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:03.279 the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit set 214 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:07.190 their minds on the things of the spirit. For to set the mind on 215 00:20:07.269 --> 00:20:11.950 the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life 216 00:20:12.069 --> 00:20:18.549 and peace. There is a contrast for you. Idolatry leading to death, 217 00:20:18.589 --> 00:20:26.940 leading to despair, leading to anxiety and a commotion and war. Where does 218 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:32.140 the spirit lead us? The spirit leads us to set our things on the 219 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:36.890 things of the spirit. The spirit leads us to life. The spirit it 220 00:20:36.970 --> 00:20:45.250 leads us to peace. And the spirit speaks. He is not one who 221 00:20:45.289 --> 00:20:49.400 does not have a voice. We've got a lot of his words right here. 222 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:55.279 We don't have to go searching for them, divining for them, wondering 223 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:59.359 how to find him, wondering how to hear him. We just pick it 224 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:03.960 up and read, as simple as that. He gives himself so abundantly in 225 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:07.069 this way. And on top of all of that, he'll not only speaks 226 00:21:07.109 --> 00:21:11.829 in the word of the Scriptures, but he also speaks to directly to our 227 00:21:11.990 --> 00:21:18.619 souls, to our consciences. Romans eight again, verse fourteen through seventeen. 228 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:26.619 For those who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God. 229 00:21:26.539 --> 00:21:30.740 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, 230 00:21:32.099 --> 00:21:36.769 the fear of idolatry, but you have received the spirit of adoption, as 231 00:21:36.849 --> 00:21:42.569 sons by whom we cry Abba Father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our 232 00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:47.680 spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, 233 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:52.319 heirs of God and fellow airs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in 234 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:56.720 order that we also be glorified with him. So this is wonderful. Right. 235 00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:02.069 The spirit leads us not only to life and peace, but he's but 236 00:22:02.230 --> 00:22:06.509 it's not in just this sort of distant, abstract like he's just pointing the 237 00:22:06.589 --> 00:22:11.589 way somewhere over there. He works in our hearts to open our ears and 238 00:22:11.710 --> 00:22:15.940 our hearts so that we can believe the things that he says. And then 239 00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:21.420 he talks to us and says, you belong to me, you are a 240 00:22:21.539 --> 00:22:23.900 child of God, and he speaks to us in such a way that, 241 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:29.420 instead of us becoming on death and mute and unable to do all these things 242 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:33.490 like the idols, he opens our mouths so that we can say things like 243 00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:38.250 Ahba, father, so that we can pray to our father who is in 244 00:22:38.410 --> 00:22:42.529 heaven. How would be your name, so that we can praise God with 245 00:22:42.609 --> 00:22:48.519 our lives, so that we can love him with our hearts. And he 246 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:53.000 points us not only to this present relationship we have, but a future in 247 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:59.910 which we will be glorified with God, having obtained everything that we could possibly 248 00:22:59.990 --> 00:23:07.309 ever need. It's amazing. Included among those gifts, Paul talks to us 249 00:23:07.349 --> 00:23:11.509 in Romans Eight, to the things that the spirit leads us, and he 250 00:23:11.549 --> 00:23:15.539 says this Romans Eleven. If the spirit of him who raise Jesus from the 251 00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:21.140 dead dwells in you, he who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, will 252 00:23:21.220 --> 00:23:26.980 also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit, who dwells in you, 253 00:23:29.089 --> 00:23:33.250 the spirit of God is going to as erect your body from the dead. 254 00:23:36.130 --> 00:23:42.640 Try that, idols, they can't do anything. He can create everything 255 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:48.480 and even recreate or or re or, sorry, resurrect is the right word 256 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:57.069 there. Resurrect life even out of death. It's astounding. So Paul says 257 00:23:57.109 --> 00:24:03.589 to the Corinthians and to us, by the way, remember you are pagans 258 00:24:03.670 --> 00:24:08.829 and don't think that way anymore. Remember the difference between the foolish ways in 259 00:24:08.990 --> 00:24:14.299 which you were led and the Holy Spirit who leads you to these things and 260 00:24:14.539 --> 00:24:18.779 more, that he's going to talk to us about in these upcoming chapters. 261 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:22.420 The spirit is leading us to life. The spirit is leading us to peace, 262 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:29.450 to resurrection, to inheritance, to relationship with God and abiding with him, 263 00:24:29.490 --> 00:24:36.250 all these things and more. So that's the first contrast. The second 264 00:24:36.369 --> 00:24:38.640 will be shorter, since we've already talked about idols and I don't want to 265 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:42.519 talk about them too much anymore. The second is the way. So the 266 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:45.240 first is the way the spirit leads us. The second is the difference. 267 00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:49.759 Is the way the spirit speaks. We've already seen how the idols speak. 268 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:56.990 They don't and the demons that use them their liars and they want to hurt 269 00:24:56.029 --> 00:25:00.750 us. How does the spirit speak? As we have seen, he speaks 270 00:25:00.789 --> 00:25:04.509 to US and says we are children of God. First John, five, 271 00:25:04.630 --> 00:25:10.220 sex, five six, says, and the spirit is the one who testifies. 272 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:14.220 Right, a speaker. The spirit is the one who testifies, because 273 00:25:14.380 --> 00:25:19.460 the spirit is truth. He's not a liar. He speaks with truth. 274 00:25:19.579 --> 00:25:25.890 He is truth. And what does he speak to us? What is the 275 00:25:26.009 --> 00:25:29.369 truth? That the spirit of God who is in us. What does he 276 00:25:29.529 --> 00:25:34.170 tell us? What is he telling you even this morning? He tells us 277 00:25:34.210 --> 00:25:41.720 about Jesus. He tells us about the one who has come, the one 278 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:47.799 who dies, about the beloved son in whose kingdom we now belong. He 279 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:52.269 tells us about our safety, our inheritance, our protection. He tells about 280 00:25:52.269 --> 00:25:56.430 the love of God. He tells us and disciplines us, even in warnings 281 00:25:56.549 --> 00:26:03.819 and caught and and U steers us away from dangerous paths. The Primary One 282 00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:07.579 and the thing that he testifies to is Jesus himself, and whom all, 283 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:11.700 who is the way and of the truth and the life? John Fifteen, 284 00:26:11.779 --> 00:26:17.980 twenty six. Jesus says this, speaking of the spirit, when the helper 285 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:22.529 comes, whom I will send to you from the father, the spirit of 286 00:26:22.650 --> 00:26:26.970 truth, who profeet, proceeds from the father. He will bear witness about 287 00:26:27.170 --> 00:26:33.279 me, and that's what he does. We've so much evidence of this, 288 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:37.000 not only in our hard hearts but in the scriptures. We Have Gospel After 289 00:26:37.160 --> 00:26:49.309 Gospel, for Gospels and sermons and songs and letters and and revelations of images 290 00:26:51.269 --> 00:26:53.349 of the work of God, of the truth of Christ, of the spirit 291 00:26:55.109 --> 00:27:00.750 himself. He reveals Christ to us. He reveals not just the Great Creator 292 00:27:00.869 --> 00:27:07.660 but our Savior and our redeemer. This is what they speak to us, 293 00:27:10.900 --> 00:27:15.380 and that leads us finally to this last thing. The the effect that these 294 00:27:15.890 --> 00:27:19.650 two have, the effect that the spirit has, is very different than the 295 00:27:19.690 --> 00:27:23.529 effect that the idols have. We've already considered this in part right. The 296 00:27:23.650 --> 00:27:29.490 idols lead us into danger and to death and to foolishness, but the spirit 297 00:27:29.569 --> 00:27:32.920 of God, what does he lead us into. As we look at verse 298 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:36.720 three, What Does Paul saying? He says I want you to understand that 299 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:41.319 no one, speaking of the spear in the spirit of God ever says Jesus 300 00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:47.269 is a cursed no one says that. And no one can say Jesus is 301 00:27:47.390 --> 00:27:52.950 Lord, except in the Holy Spirit. So he enables he, this is 302 00:27:53.029 --> 00:27:57.069 to say gee, the Holy Spirit, speaks in a certain way and those 303 00:27:57.109 --> 00:28:03.180 who he feels he enables them to speak in a certain way and restrains them 304 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:08.980 from speaking in other ways. Now we have to look at a little bit 305 00:28:10.019 --> 00:28:15.569 of an Interpretive Interpretive Question. In verse three, this this phrase, Jesus 306 00:28:15.730 --> 00:28:19.529 is a cursed so the way it reads in the original is a word you 307 00:28:19.529 --> 00:28:26.289 might be familiar with, anathema, right, a curse rights. It's a 308 00:28:26.450 --> 00:28:32.119 noun and it would you could translate it three different ways. One Way, 309 00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:37.319 well, what it says is anathema, yeaesus right, so curse Jesus. 310 00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:41.829 There's no verb. So one way to translate it is, just like I 311 00:28:41.869 --> 00:28:48.789 said, curse Jesus. Right. So no one ever says curse Jesus. 312 00:28:48.789 --> 00:28:52.069 Now what does that mean? Because it's not being used as a verb. 313 00:28:52.190 --> 00:28:57.619 They're right, it's not saying I curse Jesus, so hard to say what 314 00:28:59.299 --> 00:29:03.380 that might mean. Another possibility is it is saying that there is a verb 315 00:29:03.460 --> 00:29:08.619 that is implied in this happens. Sometimes the verb is and so it could 316 00:29:08.619 --> 00:29:15.890 mean something like Jesus is a curse. Right. This is another way to 317 00:29:17.009 --> 00:29:19.970 translate this. So it's of course Jesus with Jesus is a curse. Or 318 00:29:21.089 --> 00:29:26.200 is the SV does here? Jesus is a cursed the third possibility is something 319 00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:33.480 like Jesus grants a curse or gives a curse. So let me give you 320 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:40.029 an example, an English to make this clear. At the on this last 321 00:29:40.069 --> 00:29:45.470 possibility. When we sign our letters, right, I might say something like 322 00:29:45.910 --> 00:29:49.549 you know, dear so and so, the body of the letter, and 323 00:29:49.589 --> 00:29:56.940 then end the letter of saying blessings. Or let me change that. I'll 324 00:29:56.940 --> 00:30:06.900 say greetings Christopher, warm regards Christopher. Right, no verb, just a 325 00:30:07.019 --> 00:30:12.210 comma. Warm regards a noun. My Name Christopher warm regards fisser. Well, 326 00:30:12.250 --> 00:30:15.410 what am I saying when I say that? I'm saying I give to 327 00:30:15.569 --> 00:30:19.369 you, I grant to you, I wish for you, I offer you 328 00:30:19.849 --> 00:30:23.720 my warm regards. Right, you see how that works in English and it 329 00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:33.039 can function the same way in Greek. So the ideas that curse Jesus gives 330 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:37.190 to you Jesus Grant. So instead of saying that Jesus is himself a curse 331 00:30:37.230 --> 00:30:41.230 or Jesus is a cursed it's saying so. It's essentially using Jesus as a 332 00:30:41.309 --> 00:30:45.589 way to curse people. Right. So sometimes we end our letters and we 333 00:30:45.630 --> 00:30:51.779 say blessings in Christ, right, this is the opposite of that. cursings 334 00:30:52.339 --> 00:30:59.579 in Christ or curse you in Jesus name. That's likely, in my opinion. 335 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:03.930 What's not my own opinion, but what's going on here? And scholars 336 00:31:03.970 --> 00:31:08.609 have looked as this. They have found there was a common practice of people 337 00:31:08.809 --> 00:31:15.930 using the name of other gods to write curses right against people. And so 338 00:31:15.009 --> 00:31:19.039 you would write an Athema and then the name of the God or something like 339 00:31:19.200 --> 00:31:22.839 that, perhaps even using other things as well, and they'd write these on 340 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:26.839 pieces of lead and other things. Sometimes they'd stick a nail through it and 341 00:31:26.920 --> 00:31:32.480 then they put it into a temple or a well or something like that. 342 00:31:33.789 --> 00:31:37.589 We have over a thousand examples of these, and some of them from Corinth 343 00:31:37.710 --> 00:31:44.029 itself, from the temples of demeter and Prosophony, and in three of those 344 00:31:44.109 --> 00:31:48.819 examples, in these curse led pieces that have been found, they're exactly like 345 00:31:48.099 --> 00:31:52.140 this. They have no verb right. It's very clearly this curse thing that's 346 00:31:52.180 --> 00:31:56.579 going on, but it just has the name of the God. Well, 347 00:31:56.940 --> 00:32:01.250 sadly, we also have examples of Christians taking up this practice, examples both 348 00:32:01.329 --> 00:32:07.089 in Egypt and in Corinth. Curses on family members, curses on opponents in 349 00:32:07.250 --> 00:32:14.289 court, curses on people who might disturb a grave accurse, curses on those 350 00:32:14.329 --> 00:32:21.200 who curses on various people who you'd perceive as your enemy, and various invocations 351 00:32:21.319 --> 00:32:25.680 and names would be used, biblical covenant, Scripture References and the name of 352 00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:31.470 Jesus. So we have examples of this, and this seems to be what 353 00:32:31.670 --> 00:32:37.789 is going on here in corn, that they are taking yet again a practice 354 00:32:37.869 --> 00:32:43.069 that is common in their culture and putting kind of a Christian garb on it, 355 00:32:44.819 --> 00:32:49.019 using the strength and the power of god, whom they now belong to, 356 00:32:49.099 --> 00:32:55.259 to curse people. And what Paul says is no one speaking in the 357 00:32:55.380 --> 00:33:04.089 spirit of God, curses other people in Jesus's name. It's not what happens, 358 00:33:04.130 --> 00:33:07.250 it's not what Christians do. That's not how the spirit of God speaks. 359 00:33:07.490 --> 00:33:10.009 That's how idols work. You see it all the time. It's all 360 00:33:10.049 --> 00:33:14.160 around you. Maybe somebody did it to you, maybe you used to do 361 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:16.880 that to other people, but we, as people who are filled with the 362 00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:24.640 Holy Spirit, don't do this with our Lord. Instead, what we do 363 00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:31.990 is we proclaim Jesus is Lord, or Lord Jesus, and when we proclaim 364 00:33:32.069 --> 00:33:36.869 that, we do it only because of the power of the Holy Spirit. 365 00:33:37.990 --> 00:33:42.059 All this to say that when we look at the contrast between idols and the 366 00:33:42.180 --> 00:33:46.180 Holy Spirit, there is this great difference. The Holy Spirit. What does 367 00:33:46.259 --> 00:33:50.539 he do? He leads us to Christ, he speaks of Christ, and 368 00:33:50.660 --> 00:33:54.140 then he produces us in a response that says Jesus is Lord, not the 369 00:33:54.299 --> 00:33:59.490 idols, and he produces us in a response, as will see in the 370 00:33:59.529 --> 00:34:05.769 coming chapters, that is about building people up in the name of Jesus and 371 00:34:05.970 --> 00:34:09.599 love. The spirit of God pours out gifts on his church. For what 372 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:16.119 purpose is the Almighty creator of the universe giving himself to us so that we 373 00:34:16.199 --> 00:34:22.559 can take that power and destroy our enemies? Or does he give us the 374 00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:30.030 gifts of the spirit of God so that we can love our enemies, so 375 00:34:30.150 --> 00:34:37.110 that we can love God so that we can love others. That's exactly what 376 00:34:37.269 --> 00:34:43.500 he does. We are going to have in chapter thirteen, this famous passage 377 00:34:43.659 --> 00:34:47.059 on love itself. Love is patient, love is kind, and so on, 378 00:34:47.860 --> 00:34:52.690 a beautiful, beautiful passage that speaks to the purposes of the spirit, 379 00:34:53.289 --> 00:34:58.809 the effect that he has on us and our lives and our community. We're 380 00:34:58.849 --> 00:35:01.769 going to think about the gifts that he gives and how we use those within 381 00:35:01.969 --> 00:35:07.090 the context of the church, how we use them for building up, how 382 00:35:07.159 --> 00:35:10.480 he takes like a body and makes us all different parts of it and causes 383 00:35:10.559 --> 00:35:16.559 us to work together, and these beautiful, beautiful ways with Jesus Christ as 384 00:35:16.639 --> 00:35:24.550 our head. Well, this, these lessons and these contrasts between the idols 385 00:35:24.590 --> 00:35:29.750 and the Holy Spirit. We think about the ways that they lead, the 386 00:35:29.869 --> 00:35:34.710 differences between thee ways that they speak and the ways in which they the effects 387 00:35:34.789 --> 00:35:37.420 that they have. Idols tearing US down, destroying US, separating us, 388 00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:42.380 leading us to death, and the spirit of God building us up, creating 389 00:35:42.380 --> 00:35:46.860 a communion, in a community of love. What can we say except blessed 390 00:35:46.940 --> 00:35:52.050 be the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and earth, Father, 391 00:35:52.210 --> 00:35:57.610 son and Holy Spirit. What can we say except Yes, Lord and thank 392 00:35:57.730 --> 00:36:01.210 you, Lord, and Jesus is Lord. And when we hear these words 393 00:36:01.329 --> 00:36:05.679 coming out of our mouths, when we feel them in our hearts, as 394 00:36:05.760 --> 00:36:12.000 we recognize God as our father, we ought to give God thanks and praise 395 00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:17.159 that we don't any more fall as follow after the foolish idols that lead us 396 00:36:17.159 --> 00:36:23.190 into such dark places and let us into dark places. But we belong to 397 00:36:23.389 --> 00:36:31.389 and we follow the eternal God who loves us and is bringing them out about 398 00:36:31.510 --> 00:36:37.219 in us a love for him and for others. So let's not go back, 399 00:36:37.260 --> 00:36:44.739 let's move forward in him and give him all praise and glory and trust 400 00:36:44.780 --> 00:36:46.849 him with everything that we have. Let's pray