Not Quenching the Holy Spirit B

John Owen, the great Puritan writer that some rich insight. He said this sanctification is the universal renovation of our natures by the Holy Spirit into the image of Jesus Christ. That's what the Spirit desires psychology can do that with nothing to do that said this, he said I dread beyond all things. The Holy Spirit's withdrawal death has not half the terror of that thought I would sooner die a thousand times. Then lose the helpful presence of the Holy Ghost.

The question for you is this, do you have that same healthy fear do you dread doing anything that would keep you from receiving the help and guidance and comfort and protection of the Holy Spirit. Practically speaking, what could you do when biblical terms to quench the Holy Spirit.

This is an important subject for you and for the health of your church. So stay here as John MacArthur examines this issue of quenching the Holy Spirit today on grace to you. The title of our study the Bible driven church and here's the lesson when our Lord was coming near to his death and his crucifixion was imminent. He promised to send another helper, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, who was one exactly like himself. His promise was that the Holy Spirit is going to come after I sent her the father will send the Holy Spirit and he will assume the role with you that I have had he Holy Spirit being another member of the Trinity, God of very God, he will come and fulfill the role that I have filled in the lives of the disciples. In effect, he is saying I have been your teacher, he will be your teacher in the future. I have been your friend he will be your friend. I have been your guide, you will be your guide. I have been your resource you will be your resource.

I've been your helper you will be your help bribing your comforter.

He will be your comforter. In other words, the Holy Spirit will step into the role that I have had I have done alongside of you.

He will do it in you, the Holy Spirit wants to move you from where you are to be like Christ along the path of ever-increasing holiness that sanctification is just the separation process further and further separation. That's what he wants to do holiness was like a seed planted at the time of your salvation that grows and as it grows, it bears more and more and more and more fruit and nuts. The working of the Holy Spirit. John Owen, the great Puritan writer had some rich insight. He said this sanctification is an immediate work of the spirit of God on the souls of believers, purifying and cleansing of their natures from the pollution and uncleanness of sin, renewing and then the image of God and thereby enabling them from a spiritual individual principle of grace to yield obedience under God according under the tenor in terms of the new covenant by virtue of the life and death of Jesus Christ. It's a work of the spirit on your soul purging purifying cleansing from the pollution of sin as you move more and more to the image of God, or more briefly.

He said it this way. It is the universal renovation of our natures by the Holy Spirit into the image of Jesus Christ. Now that's what the Spirit desires to do psychology can do that human wisdom can do the nothing to do that with the Holy Spirit.

The only agency that can do is the Holy Spirit you can quench the spirit and the progress of that sanctification by substituting ecstatic experiences, emotions, feelings, methodology, therapeutic methodology, gimmickry, formulas, whatever pragmatism, mystical, intuitive, self authenticating experience, psychology, emotions, feelings, all of that will never do what the spirit is to do and alone can do now in this holy progress.

There is a handful of things. The Spirit is doing in you and you need to know there the components of this process, they make up this process.

Number one illuminates the word illuminates the word first Peter 22 says as babes are the pure milk of the word that you might grow thereby you growth of the word now to go to move along this path of sanctification separated more from Sunanda God that growing process that moving ahead process is generated by the word you taken the truth a man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. You feed on the word and as you do, you grow. Now the spirit is the agent of the word the spirit. Remember the author of the word. Second Peter 120 and 21 says holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The spirit is the author of Scripture and so he wrote the Scripture. Not only that, first John 220 and 27 says the dwelling in us. He is an unction he is and anointing so that we don't need human teachers.

Another words the spirit not only wrote the word, but he dwells in us as the illuminator of the word as the interpreter of the word that's so essential he opens it to us. That's why John 1426 John 1613, Jesus I want to send you the spirit is the spirit of truth. You lead you into truth will show you the truth will bear witness to you of the things that come from the father concerning me in Psalm 19 it says that the word transforms the whole person. The word makes the simple person wise. The word rejoices the heart. The word enlightens the eyes.

The word endures forever. The word produces comprehensive righteousness, it does it all is given that it might teach us instruct us correct us train us that we might be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The spirit then moves into the word as the author moves into the word as the interpreter moves through the word as the a plier and quickens our heart. That's what he's doing to move us away from sin toward holiness by quickening the word to us.

That's his work, but you can quench it. How fail to study the word to show yourself approved under God mishandled the Scripture don't rightly divided don't receive it with humility. As James 121 says you can quench the Spirit by not applying it in your life so that you become a here and not a doer, you can quench it by not hiding in your heart by not searching it diligently by not desiring it and you can quench it by not letting it dwell in you richly as Paul said in Colossians 3 is a second thing Holy Spirit does in moving us along this path of separation to holiness. He brings us into intimacy with God.

This is an essential component in our spiritual growth.

We need time with God if I'm going to move closer and closer to God. If the relationship is to be sweeter and sweeter and richer and richer and richer and fuller and fuller than I have to spend time with God. And so it's the spirits work to draw me that way to pull me that way is the Holy Spirit. Romans eight says, who leads us to cry, Abba, father is the Holy Spirit who leads us to the conviction that we are the children of God.

Paul says, again in Galatians 46 is the Holy Spirit who makes us cry, Abba father. That means Papa or daddy that's a term of endearment a term of affinity, a term of intimacy spirit wants spirit wants us to draw into prayer into communion and fellowship with God to run their us loving children with a loving father. In fact, the two texts that teach us about Abba father are interesting in the text of Romans. The spirit wants to draw us to intimacy with God for the sake of assurance that we might be secure in our salvation that we might enjoy the wonderful exhilarating confidence that we are the children of God and he loves us so much. The text of Galatians doesn't emphasize assurance in Galatians. The spirit wants to draw us into intimacy with the father, not for the sake of assurance, but for the sake of resources we need to go in there, not just so that we can enjoy his company, but so that we can tap into what we need, we cry, Abba father. On the one hand, because we just want to celebrate the relationship we cry, Abba father on the other hand, because we so desperately have needs is not unlike your children.

Sometimes they come to you for no other reason than just to enjoy your affection and there will be those times when they come to you to ask you for what they desperately need and we cry, Abba father.

In either case, and what is it the spirit wants to do is the Spirit who moving in our hearts. Paul says makes us cry, Abba father is the Spirit who gives us that affinity for communion and intimacy with God, who takes God from being a distant God, as he would be in the religions of the world and making him a God of love and compassion and care understanding God wants to enfold us in his love, intimacy with God is an essential part of our growth. How can we ever become a spiritual father three levels of spiritual growth. Spiritual baby spiritual young men, spiritual fathers spiritual babies know the basics spiritual young men.

No doctrine. First John 212 and 13 explains this, and spiritual fathers know him who is from the beginning I can have a deep knowledge of the eternal God, unless I spent time with them right. So in this process of spiritual growth and sanctification as I move toward holiness. I have an ever increasing knowledge of God. Paul cried out for that, that I may know him. That's the longing of my heart. I want to know them better know him better knowing more in the spirit moves us that way he desires.

He works he leads us into ever richer intimate fellowship with God. That's why he allows difficulty in our life because it's difficulty that drives us into that communion is it so essential you can quench it by not accepting the difficulties of life being bitter and angry by not being prayerful, not enjoying the communion of God you can quench that work of the Spirit by not being worshipful by not being willing to cast your care upon him.

You can quench that work of the Spirit by operating on your fleshly power sticking with your human resources and say I'm not going to go to God for anything. I got all I need, I can handle myself. You quench it by feeling inadequate by not trusting God's love and saying if I go he doesn't love me or not trusting his supply. He doesn't have what I need any of those and more would cause you to quench that work of the spirit is 1/3 thing he does in moving us toward Christ likeness. He glorifies Christ to us. He glorifies Christ to us to see what is he do that because the goal of our holiness is to be like Christ right as I said in Galatians 419 Paul says I have pain until Christ is fully formed and you to be like Christ is the issue when we awake in his likeness. When we see him as he is will be like him as he is. That's the goal that's the prize that's the mark of Philippians 3, the Paul move toward and if I'm going to be like Christ. I got to know what Christ is like if we say we walk in him.

First John 26 then we are to walk as he walked.

If we say we abide in him we belong to him where his than we are to walk the way he walked. If were going to do that we have to see how we walk.

So what is the spirit do.

He chose us Christ makes Christ glorious to us in John 1526 and in John 1614 and 15 Jesus said when the spirit comes, he will bear witness of me. He will show the things of me to you that's what he'll do. He'll show you me he will reveal me to you Jesus that I've come to reveal the father.

Jesus had the spirits come to reveal me, you'll show me to you. He always leads people to ascribe glory to Jesus Christ. No man for Sprint's 12 three ever curses Jesus by the Holy Spirit, but no man ever calls Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit. He is always ascribing Lordship of Christ is always giving glory to Christ, so he wants us to gaze on the glory of Christ. He wants us to see the one was the goal of our spiritual progress book at second Corinthians 318. Absolutely magnificent verse often overlooked and so I write it under my name.

Sometimes when I signed someone's book.

Second Corinthians 318 says we all that is believers. Christians have an unveiled face. He's been talking about Moses and when Moses got the glory of God in a spatial memory went to the amount he saw the glory of God.

Got over space and revealed it.

He says we don't have any veil. We don't have anything to get between us and the glory we don't have anything hindering with the veil is off in Christ and we are looking as in a mirror and seeing the glory of the Lord. That's a great statement.

What is the mirror that reflects the glory of the Lord is this. This is where we see it. So as you study the word of God. The reflection of the glory of Jesus Christ comes blazing off of it. I don't care whether you're talking about the Old Testament of the New Testament.

Christ is the theme everywhere, and as you gaze into the word of God with the blinders off with the veil off because you're in Christ and you look in this glass, which reflects the glory of the Lord into your face as you do that, look at this. You are being transformed into the same image you see as we study the word of God and the glory of the Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ is exposed to us comes flaming, as it were, off the mirror of the word almost blinding us at times like Moses, who went in the rock.

I got the glory all over him.

As we gaze into the glory of Christ revealed in the word we are transformed by that glory bases from one level of glory to the next level of glory from glory to glory to glory to glory to glory, who's doing this and diverse the Lord of the spirit. The spirits work when we want to quench that we want to retard that the spirit is trans, figuring us the word transform is actually the same word translated in Matthew 17, transfigured, and it describes Jesus when he was on the mount, remember, and it was transfigured before them. That was quite remarkable.

The glory of the Lord appeared in the face of Moses. That's the outside but Jesus showed his glory was on the inside and what Paul is saying here is quite remarkable. He is saying you is believers are more like Jesus than you are like Moses because the glory is not on the outside with the glories on the inside you're being literally transformed on the inside transfigured on the inside into the same kind of glory that Jesus displayed by the work of the Holy Spirit.

So in this process of the spirit moving on the path of sanctification. He wants to eliminate the word which makes you grow.

He wants to draw you into intimacy with the father which pulls you along the path of intimacy which you grow and then he wants to reveal Christ to you in such blazing glory that you see clearly the image of where you're going. And as you focus on that image and are lost in wonder love and praise you will find the spirit of God moving you inexorably along the path to Christ likeness.

What a thought.

You can retard that to you can quench that to. Just don't bother study the word just don't see the beauty of Christ. Just use the Bible as a means to solve all your problems and don't let it just reveal Christ to you. Don't be humble and admit that you're so far short of the glory of Christ that you desperately need to see his glory, and to be moving to a new level of glory spiritual pride will hold you back. Lack of humility will hold you back. All those things will quench retard, hinder the work of the spirit and grieve his heart forcefully in the process of this movement in your life you want to guide you into God's will. He wants to move you into God's will, what you mean by that's twofold.

First of all, it means obedience to the will of God revealed obedience to the will of God revealed that which is in the Scripture.

He wants to move you to be obedient. He wants to prompt your heart prompt your conscience convict your mind stir you in Jeremiah 1023 it says I know Lord that a man's way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

Jeremiah's is one thing I sure know I can't run my own life and he was exactly right. He was saying. I can't direct my own life. I can't direct my own steps and then he cried out to the Lord and he said, Lord, you gotta do it. You gotta guide me in the path of your will. I cannot do that on my own.

Ezekiel 3627 talks about the first dimension of that the promise of God in the new covenant.

I'll put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances, there's the answer I want to give you my spirit in the new covenant through Christ we give you my spirit and he will lead you to obey me. That's what he said he'll lead you in obedience. It will prompt you to obey what the word says, Psalm 143 10. This is fascinating.

Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God, then this let thy good spirit lead me on level ground. On the one hand, then the spirit teaches us to obey the word on the other hand, the spirit leads us on level ground to say what is that mean that's the subjective work of the spirit. That's not necessarily related to the Scripture, the spirit leads us, prompts us, impels us, compels us, convicts us to obey what we know a lot of the Scripture, but the spirit also goes beyond that and leads us through the circumstances of life in areas that are not revealed in Scripture. The Bible doesn't tell me where to minister Bible doesn't tell me where to preach the and tell me what to say when I preach in a certain place. There many things in my life that the spirit has to lead me into.

He provides a level path for me. So there is the object of leading of the Spirit as he prompts us to obey the word, and there is the subject of meeting of the spirit as he threw circumstances in Providence and as he speaking to us in our hearts challenges us and moves us along the path of circumstance, opportunity, responsibility that is beautifully stated and I love the words of this particular statement in Isaiah 30 we read you two verses 20 and 21. Although the Lord is giving you brand of privation and water of oppression of the words they've had it tough. He your teacher will no longer hide himself but your eyes will behold your teacher, then this your ears will hear a word behind you. This is the way walk in it. Whenever you turn to the right or the left is the subject of living in the spirit.

You have a voice saying do this don't do that. Not an audible voice was strong, compelling is your in the word and faithful in prayer. The spirit of God is whispering to your conscience, whispering to your mind do this to do this go this way. This is what I want and he does it through your desires, your spiritual desires, your pure desires.

He enlightens your mind.

He stirs your heart. Commit your way to the Lord and he shall what direct your path.

He'll move you around the obstacles and over the hurdles and make a level ground process of sanctification and involves progress and it means I have to do God's will that is first of all, the spirit prompts me to obey the word of God by convicting and sometimes chasing me if I don't, and in the spirit of God orders the providences of my life.

The events and circumstances and whispers in my conscience through my desire and sends me in the direction he wants me to go all that is moving me in the process of sanctification.

You can quench that to selfishness. I want to do what I want to do and I want to do it the way I want to do it. I don't want to obey that command. I'm not interested in doing that ministry self-will, stubbornness, pride or apathy, indifference and insensitivity was waiting I don't even check in with them.

I really am not interested in those things will quench the spirit. Lastly, he strengthens us inwardly. All of this progress requires inward strength as we just noted is not in a way of Amanda orders on steps I don't have the strength. As Zacharias is not by might or by power but by my spirit says the Lord. I can't do it on my own and that is why Paul in Ephesians 3 prayed this I pray that you might be strengthened in the inner man by the spirit. Ephesians 316. The only way you're going to do God's will. The only way you can experience God's love. The only way to go to see beyond what you can ask or think the only way you got to be glorifying to Christ and the church is when your power is coming from the Holy Spirit. That's why second rate is 12 Paul says when I am weak in my human strength I become powerful because when I run out of human resources. I cast myself on God's strength comes from the spirit and so he's infusing us with strength as we are in the word as we are praying as we are obeying even when we go through trials we cast ourselves totally on him because he's all there is.

That is left of the strength is there, you couldn't witness without his strength. Jesus said, you will receive power, after the Holy Spirit comes upon you, then you'll be a witness. You couldn't have victory over sin without his strength because you can't do it in the flesh, the flesh cannot overcome the flesh, only the spirit can overcome it. You could never have victory over Satan for the weapons of our warfare. In that battle are not fleshly but mighty spiritual weapons given by the spirit you could not have security for salvation is only vouchsafed to you through the ceiling of the spirit you could not serve effectively. Apart from the power of the spirit. You cannot praise God in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord unless you're filled with the spirit you cannot write relationships in a marriage and a family or anywhere else, unless you are so filled with the spirit spiritual power that enables us to do everything you can quench that to but being proud not being humble about recognizing your weakness. Not recognizing your need. Not recognizing your dependence you can quench this work of the spirit by being confident in your own flesh your own ability any kind of sin retards.

This whole thing. Why should you deal with sin in your life because the alternative is quenching the Spirit of God retarding your spiritual process of sanctification and grieving the heart of the spirit bringing down chastening in the forfeiture blessing in your own life, spirit is doing a great work illuminating the word bringing you in intimacy with God showing you the glory of Jesus Christ.

The goal of your life guiding you into God's will, strengthening you for spiritual ministry of service in battle. He does all that he is a powerful spirit. I guess the sum of his ministry is no more beautifully stated than it is in Isaiah 11, just listen to this. Isaiah 11 to the prophet describes the Holy Spirit this way. He says he is the spirit of the Lord. He is the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

This Holy Spirit will bring you wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and cause you to fear and worship God is the Holy Spirit who does everything you need and what more do you need than wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and the fear of the Lord you need any more than that.

That's his work. That's what he wants to do in your life but you will stifle it. If you are not filled with the spirit. Ephesians 518.

If you are not walking in the spirit Galatians 525. They describe the same thing be filled with the spirit means he fills me up controlling everything walking in the spirit simply means I put my feet in the path that he sets when you walk in the spirit spirit will do is sanctifying work when I want to quench the spirit in the church today but were doing it on the large-scale we want to quench the spirit in our own individual lives but were doing it. We do not allow the spirit of to accomplish these five things as he moves us toward Christlike God help us to be faithful not to quench or grieve the Holy Spirit.

That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary continuing his current series here on grace to you.

It's a study he calls the Bible driven church in the past couple broadcasts. John you been talking quite a bit about the work of the Holy Spirit, and every now and then I hear someone say John MacArthur doesn't believe in the Holy Spirit.

Obviously that's not true. The truth is you've written and said quite a bit on the Holy Spirit.

Over the years so talk for a moment about what led to that I think probably the most humorous thing I heard along that line was somebody was commenting on me some charismatic leader and he said will John MacArthur's effective, just imagine what it be like if he had the Holy Spirit tell you what I be like if I didn't have the Holy Spirit, I wouldn't be redeemed. I just happen to be like every other Christian, the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in me and whatever I am.

I am by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and I have said a lot about the Holy Spirit. More recently, it did this come together through the book strange fire. That book was part of a conference. We did, grace to you. Conference on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The book strange fire has had a very remarkable impact of all the books that I've written through the years. This one may be in the one called. The gospel according to Jesus that had the most transformative effect on people's lives. This subtitle of strange fire is the danger of offending the Holy Spirit with counterfeit worship. Nothing is more important than knowing the true God and knowing his nature and his holiness and worshiping him accurately evangelical church today really has a very casual understanding of God the father and an even casual understanding of God the son, and sadly a very confused understanding of the Holy Spirit's written this book called strange fire to expose those misrepresentations and clarify the true nature and work of the Holy Spirit.

It's going to deepen your understanding and love for the Holy Spirit. That's its purpose is not to just denounce something, but to present the truth in eye-opening helpful resource to put in the hands of a friend or loved one confused about the Holy Spirit title.

Again, strange fire, reasonably priced, and it will have an impact.

Believe me on your life and all those who read it.

Yes, it will end friend as John said the goal of this book is to deepen your love for and understanding of the Holy Spirit to see how the spirit can help you conquer sin and grow strong in your walk with Christ order John's book called strange fire you can call our toll-free number at 855 grace you can speak directly with our customer service team between 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM Pacific time. Our phone number again 855 grace or you can place your order@ourwebsitejidety.org strange fire costs $15 in hardcover and is always shipping is free.

I would also recommend that you listen to all the messages from the strange fire conference that grace to you hosted a few years ago.

This conference honored the true work of the Holy Spirit, and confronted errors in charismatic theology.

The series includes teaching and panel discussions from John MacArthur, RC Sproul, Conrad and Bayway Justin peters and more. You can review those messages and discuss them with your relatives, friends, or your fellowship and you'll find the MP3s and transcripts available for free download@jidety.org that's our website again. GT why.org now for John MacArthur and the grace to you staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Keep in mind you can watch grace to you. Television is Sunday on DirecTV channel 378 or check your local listings were channel and times and be here tomorrow as John continues his study the Bible driven church with another half hour of unleashing God's true one verse at a time on grace to