By Christ's Spirit We Are Partakers
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
5/27/2012 AM
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Text:
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Romans 8;
Lord's Day 20
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Psalters: |
391, 64, 27, 287 |
- Of Christ.
- The Holy Spirit is a Person (not just a power).
- He is a distinct Person in the Godhead, equal with the Father and the Son.
- Scripture does not isolate His Person or His work from the other two Persons (John 15:26; 16:7; Acts 1:4,8).
- He is given to the church.
- First, He was given to Jesus at His exaltation as Head of the church (Acts 2:33).
- Then on Pentecost the exalted Lord gave this His Spirit to the church, which He indwells forever.
- This Spirit makes the church (and all her members) to be partakers of Christ.
- By doing this the Spirit unites the church members to Christ and to each other (cf. Eph. 4:3).
- Also the Spirit is the means Christ uses to distribute the benefits He earned.
- First, the Spirit regenerates (John 3:8; Rom. 8:10,11; Ezek. 37).
- The Spirit reveals by means of Scripture (John 16:13; I Tim. 4:1).
- The Spirit enables the regenerated to confess Jesus to be the Son of God and that they belong to Him.
- The Spirit sanctifies (Titus 3:5; II Thess. 2:13; I Peter 1:2).
- And the Spirit makes us partakers of final salvation by promise, as the earnest of it (II Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14).
- The Spirit seals us “to the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).
- Let us be aware of His presence in us.
- It is He Who unites us to Jesus, our Husband (I Cor. 3:16).
- Let us live as though our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and we must take care of them for Him!
- Let us be careful not to “grieve” or “quench” the Spirit (Eph. 4:30; I Thess. 5:19).
- Can we see evidence of the Spirit at work in us?