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Hi and welcome to the Final Word.
For those of you who follow us, you know that we are
in a discussion or a series of discussions on the subject
of the Holy Spirit.
Today Charles Leonard will help us answer the question
"How does the Holy Spirit dwell in the heart of the Christian?"
You say, "Oh, that is simple, he dwells -
the same way you dwell in your house."
Well, I do, personally, literally and physically dwell
in my own house, sure I do.
But not too long ago, my grandfather died,
- he was a faithful Gospel preacher,
and a wonderful servant of God.
I remember one person saying to me at the funeral,
"Your grandfather is gone but not forgotten,
he continues to dwell in your heart."
Well, that really is the question, isn't it?
- when we consider the Holy Spirit,
and we talk about the Holy Spirit dwelling
in the heart of the Christian,
- we just want to know how he does that.
Is it physically, literally, - the way I dwell in my house?
- Or is it representatively through his teachings?
- the way that my grandfather still dwells in my heart.
Well, let's ask Brother Leonard to help us clear up
some of the confusion, shall we?
I understand that it is a problem for us to understand,
like we would desire to, the Holy Spirit.
There is always going to be some things that
we may not understand about the Holy Spirit.
But there are some things that we can understand,
and even though that we don't understand
how that it takes place.
I was born and reared in west Kentucky.
Most of the time we lived in the Paunchville area,
and for a period of time we lived in the Melbur area.
And I spent my first 18 years in west Kentucky.
But I left west Kentucky when I was 18 years of age,
and I noticed, when I came in today,
that I had to have a passport in order to get back in.
That's what happens when you don't get back very often.
But now let me tell you something that I observed
as I was growing up in west Kentucky.
My father always had a bunch of cows for us to milk.
We did that twice a day.
And he made sure that we had something to do.
There was one great big Holstein cow, mostly black.
And when that cow had a calf, and we got rid of the calf
and started milking the cow twice a day
that cow would give three gallons of milk,
and run foam off of the three gallon bucket.
There were some things that I didn't understand about that.
How could a black cow eat green grass, give white milk,
and make yellow butter?
Now I never did understand that fully.
But it did happen.
But there's something else that we have difficulty
understanding as well.
Our body possesses a spirit.
What do you know about your spirit?
How much can you really know about your own spirit?
Now the reason why that I mentioned these two things,
by way of illustration, is to get you to understand that
we're not going to ever be able to understand completely all
that we would like to know about the Holy Spirit,
but we can understand what God has revealed,
the Holy Spirit has revealed concerning him.
There are few subjects that have been surrounded
with as much superstition as that of the Holy Spirit.
One of the things that may have contributed to that is that
the King James translation of the Bible refers to it
as "Holy Ghost."
And that word "ghost" may have a way
of throwing people off.
But the Holy Spirit is the third member of the Godhead,
and he is a divine personality.
He's not an "it."
He is a divine personality.
The subject of the Holy Spirit has been discussed for years,
and in some cases is discussed with more heat,
than it is with light.
And so, some are afraid to take a position on some
of the subjects on the Holy Spirit, for fear of the fact
that there might be a brotherhood that holds something
different from that, and therefore, they are hesitant
to reveal their views regarding the Holy Spirit.
It will be our purpose in this lesson tonight,
to discuss how that the Holy Spirit indwells a Christian.
What I'd like for you to do tonight, if you will,
follow along in your Bibles.
I'm going to be referring to some passages,
reading those, and I think that it would help you,
if you were able to read those passages with us.
There are different measures of the Holy Spirit,
and as has already been covered in the lectureship, there is
what's called the baptismal measure of the Holy Spirit
that's mentioned twice in the book of Acts.
In Acts 2 and Acts 10.
Then there is also the gift bestowed by the laying on
of hands of the Apostles, that was alluded to today
from Acts 8:14-17.
But now the thing that we're concerned about tonight
is not the baptismal measurement of the Holy Spirit
or the laying on of the hands of the Holy Spirit.
But we're concerned tonight with the,
what some refer to as the "ordinary measure"
or the indwelling measure of the Holy Spirit.
I want to establish the fact with you first of all
this evening, that there are two large basic views held
regarding the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
There are those who believe that the Holy Spirit personally
dwells within the heart or the mind of an individual.
There is also the other view that the the Holy Spirit
indwells the Christian,
but that the Holy Spirit indwells the Christian
representatively through the word of God, the gospel.
I want to read with you some passages, first of all,
that shows that the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit
dwells in Christians.
Turn with me if you will to the 8th chapter of the book of Acts.
In Acts 8, we're going to look at verse 11.
Paul says, "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus
"from the dead, dwelleth in you.
"He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
Now notice that expression, "his spirit that dwelleth in you."
Turn over if you will to the book of I Corinthians.
In I Corinthians 3, I want us to look at verse 16.
I Corinthians 3:16.
And this passage teaches that the Holy Spirit
indwells the Church.
In verse 16, it says,
"Know ye not that thou art the temple of God?
And that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
Now notice that He's calling the Church "the temple of God"
and he says "the Spirit of God dwelleth in you."
Turn over a little bit to chapter 6 of this same book.
In I Corinthians 6:19, it shows that
the Spirit indwells the body of Christians.
I Corinthians 6:19.
He says "What, know ye not that your body is the temple
"of the Holy Ghost? Which is in you
which you have of God, and ye are not your own."
Now it refers to the body as being the temple
of the Holy Ghost.
He says "which is in you."
Now all of these passages are saying basically the same thing.
Or at least, that's what I'm wanting to show you
from the passage.
Now turn over if you will to the book of II Timothy.
And we'll look at a passage found in the book of II Timothy,
and in II Timothy 1, and we'll look at verse 14.
Now in this particular verse it shows,
this involves both Paul and also Timothy.
II Timothy 1:14.
"That good thing which was committed unto thee,
keep by the the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us."
Now notice that all of these passages are teaching
that the Holy Spirit indwells the Christian.
Go a little further into the book of I John.
In the book of I John, we're going to look at chapter 3
and verse 24. I John 3:24.
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him
"and he in him, and hereby we know that he abideth in us
by the Spirit which he hath given us."
Now in all of these passages it's emphasizing the same thing.
But in chapter 4 of I John,
let's look also before we leave that, verse 13.
I John 4:13.
"Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us,
because he hath given us of his spirit."
Now from all of these verses that we have read together,
it's echoing the same sentiments.
That the Spirit dwells within the Christian.
Now the question that we're going to be dealing with
a little bit later on is
as to how the Spirit indwells the Christian.
But I want to show you that the Bible teaches that
the Holy Spirit does indwell Christians and we'll notice how.
Turn back if you will to the gospel of John, chapter 14.
In John chapter 14, we're going to look at verse 23. John 14:23
In verse 23, he says, "Jesus answered and said unto him,
"If a man love me, he will keep my words.
"And my Father will love him and we will come unto him
and make our abode with him."
Now notice this involves both the Father and the Son.
"If a man love me, he will keep my words.
"My father will love him, and we will come unto him
and make our abode with him."
Well, how does Christ then dwell in the Christian?
We've established the fact from these passages that
the Holy Spirit does indwell the Christian.
But now in John 14:23,
it shows that the Father and the Son indwell the Christian.
So when you think about all three members of the Godhead,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
indwell the Christian.
Now how does all of that take place?
Well, in the book of I John in chapter 4,
I want us to look at verses 15 and 16.
I John 4:15, 16.
Beginning with verse 15, it says, "Whosoever shall confess
"that Jesus is the Son of God,
God dwelleth in him and he in God."
Now notice that "God dwelleth in him and he in God.
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.
"God is love and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God and God in him."
Now then, that poses a question.
If God the Father, Christ the Son,
and the Holy Spirit all indwell the Christian,
how does all this take place?
Well, as I indicated by way of introduction,
there are those who believe that the Holy Spirit personally
indwells the Christian.
And that being the case, then they would think that
since he personally indwells the Christian that he is doing
something more than what could be accomplished
by the word of God.
Now we want to notice how that the Holy Spirit
indwells the Christian.
Let's look at the book of Galatians first.
In the book of Galatians, we're going to look at
chapter 2 and verse 20.
The book of Galatians chapter 2 verse 20.
Here the apostle Paul is making a statement about himself.
He says, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.
"Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
"And the life which I now live in the flesh,
"I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,
and gave himself for me."
Now Paul is saying here that he was crucified with Christ.
And he indicated that "Not I, but Christ liveth in me.
"And the life which I now live in the flesh,
"I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me."
Now how does Christ dwell in us? How does the Father dwell in us?
How does the Holy Spirit dwell in us?
Well, let's turn to the book of Ephesians.
In chapter 3 and look at verse 17.
Ephesians 3:17.
Paul says, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
And ye being rooted and grounded in love."
Now notice that statement.
He's saying here that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
If Christ dwells in our hearts by faith,
how does God dwell in our hearts?
How does the Holy Spirit dwell in our hearts?
All three members of the Godhead indwell the Christian
in the very same way.
And the only way this can take place is
in and through the word of God.
Now we may have difficulty understanding
how all of that takes place.
But whether we fully understand it or not,
that's what the Bible teaches.
That God the Father, Christ the Son,
and the Holy Spirit all indwell the Christian by faith.
Now let's notice what happens, how we get this faith,
and how that this faith operates upon us.
Ephesians 3:17 we just read,
turn over to the book of Colossians, chapter 1
and let's look at verse 27. Colossians 1:27.
"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory
"of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Well, how did he get in there?
Through Faith.
The Holy Spirit indwells us also through faith.
There's a couple of passages that I'd like for us to look at.
First of all, Ephesians 5:18, 19.
Paul says, "Hear and be not drunk with wine, wine is excess,
but be filled with the Spirit."
Now when a person is filled with the Spirit,
what did they do?
"Speaking yourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."
Now after reading from Ephesians 5:18, 19,
let's turn over now to the book of Colossians 3:16.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom,
"teaching and admonishing one another in songs and hymns
"and spiritual songs, singing with grace
in your hearts to the Lord."
Now what happens when we're filled with the Holy Spirit?
We sing.
What happens when we're filled with the word of God?
The same thing. We sing.
These are parallel passages here.
And so when one is filled with the word of God,
then it means that that individual is willing to do
that singing, he's willing to do what God wants him to do.
And so therefore, when we talk about the Holy Spirit,
we're talking about all three of these members of the Godhead
dwelling in the Christian, and this is by faith.
If any member of the Godhead indwells the Christian
personally, notice the problem that we have.
If any member of the Godhead indwells the Christian
personally, then we have incarnation.
And by that, that's a good term
that's been used by some of our bretheren,
incarnation simply meaning "diety inhabiting flesh."
And the Bible teaches in John 1:14 concerning Christ,
"He was made flesh and dwelt among us.
"And we beheld his glory, as the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth."
Now then, Christ became flesh and dwelled among men.
Listen carefully.
Mary is the only person that ever had diety indwelling her.
Here she was, a human being, with diety indwelling her.
And if we had the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit in us,
indwelling us through some strange way to where
that they're personally there then it would mean that
there is diety dwelling within us.
Now let's say that a person believes
that diety indwells the Christian.
That here we have an individual with diety indwelling them,
incarnation in flesh.
Alright, what would that make out of us?
That would make each one of us posessing diety within us.
Well now, if each one of us posessed diety wihin us,
Christ literally within us, God literally within us,
and the Holy Spirit literally within us,
then you have diety now encased in flesh.
That being the case, would we end up worshiping one another?
Because you've got diety personally indwelling.
Now here's what we have to understand:
we have to understand that the only way that diety indwells us
is by faith in and through the word of God.
They do not personally indwell us.
There is not diety personally indwelling us.
But diety indwells us through faith.
Now how would you explain it otherwise?
How would you go about telling people,
if diety really, personally indwells you?
And those who believe that believe that the Holy Spirit
does something more than simply indwelling,
and being in the word.
But they believe that he happens to do something for them,
that others do not have done for them.
Now the gift of the Holy Spirit is found twice
in the book of Acts.
In Acts chapter 2, verse 38, and Acts chapter 10, verse 45.
And this gift of the Holy Spirit,
as was indicated by some of our panel members today,
the gift of the Holy Spirit is not the Holy Spirit himself.
But the gift of the Holy Spirit evidently is refering
to the miraculous that they would recieve,
and they did recieve it when they were baptized
with the Holy Spirit.
And so when we talk about Mary having diety to dwell in her,
that's true.
When we talk about diety indwelling us personally,
that's false.
It just doesn't happen that way.
The new birth involves water and the Spirit.
John 3:5.
And Peter said in I Peter 1:23,
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorrutible seed, the word of God."
So the word of God brings about that new birth.
Both are involved in sanctification,
which was talked about this afternoon.
And both also are comforted in the same way.
By the word of God.
Now basically, what we have is, we have a problem
that people are working with and trying to understand.
And then we have Pentacostalism coming along
and saying that they're getting things that we're not getting.
And we've had Pentacostalism that is invading
the Church of our Lord.
And what it amounts to is this:
that we have not had the truth preached
as it should be preached, regarding the Holy Spirit.
And as a result of it, we got those that began to fall in
with Pentacostalism, believing that the Holy Spirit is going
to do something more for us than what he describes for us
in the Bible.
We need to know all that we can
about the three members of the Godhead.
We need to know how all three of those members indwell us.
And we need to know that, though we may not understand exactly
how all of that takes place, we need to know that
acording to what the Bible teaches
that all three members of the Godhead
dwell within the Christian, in and through the word of God.
There is not a person living that can prove
from the word of God that the Holy Spirit, God the Father,
or Christ the Son indwells any other way.
So if we want to hold on to what the Bible teaches, we'll teach
that the three members of the Godhead do indwell us,
but they indwell us in and through the word of God.
That's why the word of God is so powerful.
John 6:63 indicates that the word of God,
the Spirit, is alive.
And so the Spirit gives life to the word of God.
And so therefore we need to understand all that we can,
and how that the three members of the Godhead
make their appeal to us.
And it's in and through the Word of God.
We are so thankful for the straight-forward approach
of Brother Leonard.
He has helped us to hold up the Word of God to come
to the correct answer on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
When it comes down to it, friend, as long as we have
the word of Christ dwelling in us richly, as long as
we have God's word dwelling in us,
and God dwelling in us and Christ dwelling in us...
we also have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
And we know, that they dwell in us by faith,
as Brother Leonard has helped us to see.
Well, thank you for joining us today,
and we ask that you please come back next time
as we continue to study more about the Holy Spirit of God.