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Newington Three Angels Church

Eric Walsh

Lying on the Spirit


Good to have everybody back with us again. And praise the Lord for his deliverance. As many have been getting over the coronavirus, we are going to just continue to pray for those affected. Our talk for this, I'll call it an installment, but our talk this time has to do with the Holy Spirit on a contentious issue. So, I ask for your prayers even as you listen to this that God would really move in this.

Our scripture reading is taken from Matthew chapter 28, Matthew chapter 28, we'll be starting at verse 19. It says, go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Our message this episode is entitled, Lying on the Spirit. Lying on the Spirit. Let us pray.

Father God, we thank you for this opportunity to just study a word and this challenging topic. Lord, I pray that you make me just a nail upon the wall, a rusty, sorry nail, Lord. But upon that nail, Lord, I ask that you hang a portrait of Jesus Christ. Let our walls not be seen or heard, but instead, Father, let us hear a word from your throne room of grace. As our prayer in Jesus' precious and holy name, amen.

I'm gonna start in the book of John and then I'll give you a little rationale as to why we're doing this, covering this topic tonight. John 20 in verse 19 says, "'Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst. And saith unto them, peace be unto you. And when he had said, and he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.

We jump in today just where Jesus appears post-resurrection. He appears miraculously in the midst of the disciples. Won't get too much into the story, but it is a profound experience as the disciples had at 1 point thought they'd lost their master. Now here he stands. And I like what the Bible says he in order for them to understand who he is He he shows them his hands where the nails pierced him and his side Where the spear pierced him to let them know it was him and the Bible says the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Verse 21, then said Jesus to them again, peace be unto you as my father has sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. So the reason for this talk, this brief talk is I'm hearing from more and more people The question as to whether or not the Holy Spirit is 1, divine, 2, a person, or 3, people have said, the Holy Spirit is simply a force. The force that comes from Christ. And they use this verse to say, in fact, the Holy Spirit isn't really a third person in the Godhood.

In this, they deny the Trinity, which by default means you have to deny the divinity of Christ, which we've talked about before. But I don't know how you deny the divinity of Christ when the disciples worshipped him. Others worshipped him. And he, as we will see as we go through this, will be worshipped throughout eternity. You can't worship that which is not divine.

Christ never rejected the worship that he received. Now, so that's 1 side of it. Those who say that, you know, they don't like the Trinity. And a lot of them, it's because they're saying, no, the Trinity is a Catholic institution. Well, the problem with that kind of logic is, if you're saying it came out of Catholicism, which it doesn't, it comes out of the scripture, and they put a name on it, the Trinity, which does not appear in the scripture, but the principle of a triune God is in the scripture and in the spirit of prophecy.

So if you're afraid that because the Catholic church believes in a Trinity, then you're in trouble because the Catholic Church also believes in a crucifixion. They also believe in a resurrection. So do you now say, okay, we can't believe those things because Catholics believe them? That would be foolish. And so some go to this verse and say, look, the Holy Spirit isn't really a person.

It's something that came out of Jesus. He breathed it out and the disciples received the Holy Ghost. I don't know if that's really what the text is saying. To me, he breathed and they received the Holy Ghost. As you're gonna see, the Holy Ghost existed before Jesus breathed here.

So the question is, is the Holy Spirit just a force? Like in Star Wars, and everybody's familiar with the great epic films that came out of, I believe, originally or even afterwards, also books and even comic books. The Star Wars saga has made probably billions of dollars at this point, if you go all the way back to the 1970s. At the root of this series is the idea, There's no God, there's no devil, there's just a force. And you're either on the good side of the force or the dark side of the force, the light side of the force or the dark side of the force.

And you all know, if you've ever seen these movies, and I'm not telling you to go and watch them, but the premise is that there's no intelligent God, that there's just some force inherent to all life. And I even believe they believe in every atom that connects everyone. And if the force is strong with you, you can do all kinds of miraculous things. But If the force is strong with you, you can do all kinds of miraculous things. But if the force is strong with you on the side of light or on the side of dark, but let me submit to you, that is literally the way people view witchcraft.

That there's white witchcraft and black witchcraft, good magic and bad magic. It's all the same thing, just a matter of how you use it to try and reduce the Holy Spirit to simply being a force is blasphemy. And I'll jump ahead, I'll say it right here. It's interesting when you speak of an evil spirit, no 1 says an evil spirit is just a force. No 1 says an evil spirit is just some movement of a thing.

People understand that if it's an evil spirit, there's a person, a demonic personage behind that spirit. Yet when it comes to the Holy Spirit, folk want to say in fact that this spirit is not a person, not divine. Blasphemy. And the reason this thing has caught on so well is because the devil knows that there is a specific work for the Holy Spirit to do for this for the time on earth to end. And by denying the divinity of Christ, which is the spirit of antichrist, and by denying the Holy Spirit, its personage and its divinity, in fact, what they are doing is playing into the enemy's hands of deception in the last days.

Well, what does the Bible say? Genesis 1 in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness. Now, the word there is Elohim, I am. The noun Elohim is a plural but is always used with a singular verb when it speaks of the true God.

This indicates a unity and diversity within the nature of God. This unity and diversity is revealed in Scripture as the doctrine of the Trinity. Which, you know, if you don't like the term Trinity, you can pick Godhead. That is in the Bible. Now notice that Elohim does not end in A-I-M, which in the Hebrew means dual.

And I don't have time to get into it but if it was Elohim which is the A-I-M it would mean that there are 2 in the plurality but Elohim I-M means there's 3 or more and I get this from an excellent book I'm reading right now that you get at the ABC bookstore called of everything I needed to know I learned in Genesis. And the author breaks down, and I wish I remembered his name, he breaks down in that, in the first, very first pages, that in fact the doctrine of a Triune God is there embedded. And so some people say, well, but the verbs are singular. So the God had to be singular. The plurality, they say, has to do with the richness of God, the depth of his royalty, the depth of his Godness and his majesty, as if to say the God of gods.

But if you say that, how does it make sense that those passages must still be translated, let us make man in our image? The plurality stays. And what the Bible is doing because it is not normal hemo grammar to disconnect the the verb and the and the content and and the and the subject in that way but what the Bible is saying is there is a oneness to God and a plurality And this is the mystery of godliness. And here's the funny thing. Without the Holy Spirit, you'll never be at peace with the truths that the Bible is teaching, as we will see.

So what does the Bible say? Acts 28 is the Holy Spirit, is it a person? Acts 28 and verse 25 says, and when they agreed not among themselves, they departed after that. Paul had spoken 1 word, well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah, the prophet unto our fathers. If the Holy Spirit is just a force, how is it speaking to people and through people?

Speech means thought. Thought means personality. Acts 13, verse 2, as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. Again, the Holy Spirit is speaking. This is not some nebulous force.

In Star Wars, this force never speaks. The force is not a person. People speak, persons speak. Isaiah 63 10, but they rebelled, it's the Old Testament, but they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit. Therefore, he was turned to be their enemy and fought against them.

If it's not a person, how can it be vexed? How can it be angered? Some nebulous thing is getting vexed and angry? That doesn't make any sense. Acts 5 and verse 3 says it like this, But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

But he goes on, Acts 5, verse 4 says, Whilst it remained, was it not thine own, and after it was sold? Was it not in thine power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Here it is.

Well, in verse 3, it says you lied to the Holy Ghost. In verse 4, it says you lied to God. What does that mean? It's telling you like an equation that the Holy Spirit is divine. And it can be lied to, which again, You can't lie to just some nebulous thing out there.

You can't lie to gravity. Gravity's a force. You can't lie to gravity. You can't upset gravity. Gravity just pulls you down.

Matthew 12, in verse 31 and 32, Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. But whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Those, first of all, if the Holy Spirit is not divine, I don't know that Jesus would say what he's saying here, number 1. Number 2, if he's not a person, I don't know that you could actually blaspheme him. He has to be divine and he has to be a person.

But let me say this to all of those who are trying to say that the Holy Spirit is not a person, literally, and not a part of not divine. Literally what Jesus is saying is that when you blaspheme, to take God and lower him to a level other than his divine stature and place is blaspheming. If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit by teaching these false doctrines, literally what you're doing is causing yourself to be separated from the ability to be forgiven for that. Jesus is not just in this world, but in the world to come. John 16, 13, and 14, How be it when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you unto all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come.

He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. Again, if the Holy Spirit is just some force, is he gonna guide you into truth? How does a force not speak of himself? Speak what it hears and show you what is to come. Sounds like a teacher.

In fact, when Jesus says he's gonna leave the comforter, there's someone who's gonna translate that word, teacher, leader, someone who shows you something. That doesn't sound like some nebulous force the force in Star Wars doesn't teach anybody anything Gravity doesn't educate people Spirit of prophecy says it like this. She says we need to realize that the Holy Spirit who is as much a person as God is a person is walking through these grounds of evangelism 16, 6, 16.5. The Holy Spirit is a person. He bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.

Evangelism 616.6. The Holy Spirit has a personality, else he could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else he could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God." Evangelism 617.

The power of God in the third person, the prince of the power of evil, can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person, the prince of the power of evil, can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. This is why they want to dismantle this doctrine. They want to bring down the Holy Spirit. This is the work of Satan among people who think they are believers, who think they've gotten some extra light. If you remove the Holy Spirit from its proper position, you lose the protection the Holy Spirit offers.

In cooperation with the 3 highest powers, we are to cooperate with the 3 highest powers in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these powers will walk through us, making us workers together with God." Evangelism 617.2. And the wise says here, as the saints in the kingdom of God are accepted in the Beloved, they hear, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25, 34, And then the golden harps are touched, and the music flows all through the heavenly host, and they fall down and worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Manuscript 139. Let me tell you something, it is evident that you cannot make an argument from the Spirit of prophecy that the Holy Spirit is not a person and that He is not divine, for here again He, like Christ, receives worship. The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Savior.

There are 3 living persons of the heavenly trio. In the name of these 3 great powers, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized. And these powers will cooperate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ." Manuscript 21. The mighty power of the Holy Spirit works an entire transformation of the character of the human agent. This is why they don't want you believing in the Holy Ghost.

When a man is filled with the Spirit, the more severely he is tested and tried, the more clearly he proves that he is a representative of Christ. The peace that dwells in the soul is seen on the countenance. The words and actions express the love of the Savior. There is no striving for the highest place. Self is renounced.

The name of Jesus is written on all that is said and done. Ellen White goes on to say, we may talk of the blessings of the Holy Spirit, but unless we prepare ourselves for its reception, what avail are our works? Are we striving with all our power to attain to the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for his fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us, the perfection of his character. They don't want you to believe.

Satan does not want you to believe in the work of the person, the third person of the godhead, the Holy Spirit because it is the work of the Holy Spirit that perfects the character. In fact, when we did our talk on the seal of the living God, it is the Holy Spirit that seals. It is the Holy Spirit that works in the frontal lobe of the brain, the Shekinah glory of God, falling on the mind of man to cause us to live a godly and Christian life. The Holy Spirit is not a person he can't guide and lead. If he's just some force, all he can do is move you and push you.

No, he gets intimate and he connects with us and he guides and directs, leading us into all truth. And in a time of great deception, we need the Holy Spirit more now than ever. And I'm not talking about running around in circles in church and speaking in tongues that no 1 knows. I'm not talking about fake miracles being performed on folk in front of a lot of other people and trying to put that on the Holy Spirit. No, I am talking about the deep abiding presence of the spirit of the living God, that person in you to will and to do what God has for you to do.

I am talking about what happens when nobody's looking. Transformation of character, the humbling of ourselves before God. Spirit of prophecy says, when the Lord's people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ. The recording angel will declare, it is finished.

And that's what we're reviewing here on June 10, 1902. Church, what's happening is that simple doctrines are beginning to be peeled away. The next series I'm gonna do and put out next week will deal with the feasts and the festivals and should Christians be keeping them. I'm amazed that there are people now doing 23andMe trying to see if they are of Hebrew or Jewish descent, flying to Israel to be part of the rebuilding of the temple. The deceptions are growing bolder and bolder, all while the world is falling into dismay, while the signs of God are beginning to flash that the Lord is soon to come.

Some spending their time sneaking around our churches, trying to convince people of satanic doctrines. Scripture says the doctrines of devils. Let me tell you something, know these things for yourself. Know that it was the Spirit of God that hovered over the water at creation. Know that it is the Holy Spirit, Christ sent to be a comforter.

And a force can't comfort you. Not like someone with personality. Not like the third part of the Godhead can. And in these times, some of us need comfort. If you remove the Holy Spirit, you're in trouble.

So my prayer is, that we study this thing, we understand these truths, and we reject the lies that they're placing on the Holy Spirit. Amen. Father God, we thank you Lord for this study Lord. It's clear that the Holy Spirit is divine, clear that the Holy Spirit is worthy to even be worshipped, but Lord, it is also clear that some want to remove the Holy Spirit in this biblical presentation because it is the work of the Holy Ghost in each 1 of us that will allow us to have the character of Jesus Christ, the character that Jesus will be looking for when he returns. Father God help us not to be deceived.

As our prayer in Jesus is precious in holy name, Amen. This media was brought to you by AudioVerse, a website dedicated to spreading God's word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about AudioVerse, Or if you

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