THE HOLY SPIRIT AS AVAILARLE TO THE BELIEVER

^[p. 300] THE HOLY SPIRIT AS AVAILARLE TO THE BELIEVER

Genesis 1:2; Genesis 6:3; Genesis 41:38; John 1:32

These scriptures are obviously bound together in their import, as you will have noticed. Reference is made in them to the Holy Spirit who is seen early in the divine record. They record the early features of the Holy Spirit in the Bible which I hope to link up with the reference in John’s gospel. That passage will enable me to speak of the Holy Spirit as He appeared in relation to the Lord Jesus Himself. We can well understand that in speaking of this subject it is quite to be expected that the Lord Jesus should be brought into it, to see how He used the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit used Him. These two things go together. The Spirit is to be used in the service and He is to use the servant, too; so that we are right in selecting this passage in John’s gospel, for it shows that the Lord Jesus used the Spirit and that the Spirit used Him. In fact we could cite many passages to confirm this. There is one in Luke 4:18, for instance, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach”. We can thus see how early the thought appeared in the New Testament. But I want to touch on each of the passages read from Genesis and to point out how the Holy Spirit is introduced. In the very first chapter He is seen acting of Himself and by Himself: “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” Genesis 1:2. He was not serving anyone, nor was anyone using Him as on later occasions. He was acting of Himself. It does not say that God was using Him, He was acting of ^[p. 302] Himself — hovering over the face of the waters. We can see, therefore, dear brethren, how majestic the passage is, standing out uniquely as to the Holy Spirit Himself. It is the first time He is mentioned in Scripture. Later we are told that God ^[p. 301] garnished the heavens by His Spirit. But He is not doing that here. The Spirit of God is spoken of as just hovering — not garnishing anything — just hovering. Wonderful fact that the Spirit of God is available to be used on this earth! There is not very much in the thought of hovering, but there is action in it and the action denotes that the Holy Spirit is free to do things. He introduces Himself as free to do certain things in the first book of the Bible. I enlarge on this because it is important that we become accustomed to have Him in our minds in this way because He is so essential to us. He is so essential in the service of God! He is so essential to our very lives! He is so essential to our proper enjoyment of the things with which God has blessed us! He is so essential to everything!

I have the consciousness that the dear brethren are very sympathetic with what I am seeking to say, and I value this for it is most important to see that the Spirit of God has put Himself in the very forefront of the divine record to show that He is available to do things. He is hovering over the face of the waters but He is doing enough to show that He has power to do things, and He is preparing to do great things. The very page from which we have read was written by Him. Every Scripture, mark you, every Scripture, is inspired of God and the inspiration is by the Spirit, and every Scripture is profitable. And this one is profitable. Indeed, you could hardly get a passage that is more profitable than this one, right in the forefront of the holy page.

Well, we will now look at the passage in chapter six. You will notice that it reads: “My Spirit shall not always plead with Man; for he indeed is flesh; but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years” Genesis 6:3. Now these are historical but authoritative facts. And after the first chapter this is the first mention of the Spirit. The first mention is that He is acting of Himself, hovering over the face of the waters; but now it is Jehovah speaking and saying, “My Spirit shall not always plead with Man”. Genesis 6:3. You will notice the use of the capital in the word Man in the New Translation. It is not so in the ordinary version but it is correctly there to bring out the importance of man so early in the book. And God is introducing the thought of pleading with men. There is something He would have men do. But Jehovah will not always be pleading. He had been doing it, but He is not to be pleading with men always. He is going to give them just one hundred and twenty years, He is limiting Himself in the use of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit was acting of Himself in the first chapter but in chapter 6 Jehovah intimates that He has been using Him to plead with men but He will not always do it. And I might say that if there is anyone here that needs to be pleaded with about any matter, it is a good time to listen. There may be something to which you should attend; maybe something to which you have been inattentive, but now the opportunity is here for you to be attentive — possibly to this wonderful matter of the activity of the Spirit. Jehovah says that He will not always plead with men. It may be that there is someone here with whom God is pleading. It is for you to say if there is something that you have neglected. It may be something with regard to the service of God, or the preaching of the gospel; something that you have been neglecting. Maybe you have not been attending to the saints, not visiting them; in fact, you may have been away from them for years and lately you have come in amongst them again. Well, why did you not come before? Do not let it happen again that you should be away from the saints. Let it never happen again, because God may not plead with you again; He may leave you alone and you will suffer. It is a serious thing if God leaves any one of us alone. Do not neglect ^[p. 303] anything to which you should attend! It is a most serious thing if God has not been saying something to you if there are such matters. Maybe He is doing so now — by His Spirit.

Well, in chapter 41 we have the Holy Spirit acting in a man. Few persons in Scripture are more attractive than Joseph. The story of Joseph interests the young people. Indeed, it has been attractive and usable to almost every true christian, I suppose. There is hardly a true christian who has not read something about Joseph and has not been impressed by it; and now Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is saying something about Joseph: “Pharaoh said to his bondmen, Shall we find one as this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” Genesis 41:38. He is the first one of whom we read that the Spirit of God was in him. It is a wonderful fact that there was such a man then; and it is a wonderful fact that there are many such now! But Pharaoh has learned about Joseph and is impressed with the fact that there is a man in his realm that has the Spirit of God. The great king of Egypt deigns to refer to Joseph in this way. He says, in principle, We cannot find another man like him! He values the fact that Joseph has the Spirit of God.

Now all this is important, but I want to show briefly how the Holy Spirit is seen so early in the Bible and what a place He has. It is not a very great place to begin with, but still He is seen first as acting of Himself, then acting for Jehovah as being used by Him, and now as being in Joseph and the king of Egypt calling attention to this great fact. Surely all this is worthy of notice! And as I speak in this way it is appropriate to enquire if there are persons here who have not received the Spirit of God. He is available and if you have not received Him ask for Him. “How much rather shall the Father who is of heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13. Have you ever asked God for the Spirit?

^[p. 304] And you have not received Him? It is a serious matter if you have not received Him. So that it is a matter to be enquired into as to whether persons have the Spirit, and if so, are they using Him and is He using them. In Exodus 31:3,5 we find a man that was used by the Holy Spirit; it says that Jehovah had “filled him with the spirit of God … to devise artistic work … to work in all manner of work”. What a man Bezaleel was! And here Joseph is usable in the mind of Pharaoh because the Spirit of God was in him. I appeal again to every one here as to whether you have the Spirit, and if you have not, I would urge you to ask God for Him and He will give Him to you. I am certain that He will.

Now I will go on to the New Testament. The matter is more fully developed there. We have read from the first chapter of John’s gospel, one of the most important chapters in the Bible; but what is particularly before us now is the great fact that the Spirit came upon the Lord Jesus. How suitable is the thought that He should thus receive the Holy Spirit! The word as to it is that “John bore witness, saying, I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and it abode upon him” John 1:32. Think of such a sight! Does it say that angels saw it? Did men see it? No; John alone saw it and bore witness and said, “I beheld the Spirit descending”. Think how honoured he was! This was John the baptist, as we all are aware, of whom the Lord said that of all the men born of women there was not another like him. Remarkable tribute! What a man he was! He is highly spoken of in Luke’s gospel, but now he is seen as bearing witness. He says of the Lord that he knew Him not, and yet he was the Lord’s cousin, I would say. He was related, after the flesh, to the Lord of glory. Wonderful thing! What pains heaven had taken to introduce christianity! Think of heaven’s selection of John to bear witness!

The angel said to Mary, “The holy thing also which shall be born shall be called Son of God” Luke 1:35. And now John is bearing witness, “And I have … borne witness that this is the Son of God” John 1:34. He became Son of God in incarnation, and He is still Son of God, a very great fact in which to believe and to rest. But here John bore witness saying, “I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and it abode upon him” John 1:32. Now just picture to yourselves, dear brethren (and you must be holy in your minds to do so), this wonderful event! You may ask, How could it be? It was a divine matter. The Spirit of God came from heaven and abode upon the Lord Jesus and John saw It. How many persons in the world would even stop to think of such a thing? Many may not think it worth while to ask about it, but how wonderful it is! As far as I know, John is the only one of whom it is said that he saw the Holy Spirit. John the baptist, a man like ourselves, of whom it is said that none greater was born of women, saw the Spirit of God descending from heaven like a dove and abiding upon Jesus. We cannot say much about it but we accept the fact. It is necessary to speak reverentially about these things, and that is how we are seeking to speak of them, but it is a most remarkable thing that John could bear this witness to having seen the Spirit of God descending from heaven and abiding upon Jesus. It is one of the great facts that belong to us, dear brethren, And of course we know something about the Spirit of God too, for we have Him ourselves. We do not see the Spirit, but we see the effects of the Spirit. I have seen the effects of the Spirit, and many others have, too. It is seen in persons; it is the evidence that they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

Now I have particularly in mind that John the baptist is said to have seen the Spirit of God. This is a great fact and it belongs to christianity — it ^[p. 306] belongs to ourselves. And notice that it is “as a dove”. That word is not to be overlooked. We would have to refer to Genesis to enlarge on that thought; but it raises the question whether we are holy enough to deal with these wonderful things and to take them in as belonging to us, and whether we have anything that would in any sense correspond with what is said of John. Here it is said that a man of like passions to ourselves saw the Spirit of God descending from heaven as a dove and abiding upon the Lord Jesus. What a distinction! What a marvellous thing to happen! It is a treasure of holy information that belongs to christians and christians only. We must be converted and become as little children to enter into the kingdom of God and have part in these things. And if we are not in the kingdom we are not saved. That is a solemn thing to say, but I do say it — that if you have not entered the kingdom it is possible that you may be lost for ever. I am not saying that you are lost, but that it is possible that you will be if you are a grown person and you have not received the Holy Spirit and have not entered into the kingdom of God. It is possible that you will not come into heaven at all — that you will never be saved! How solemn these things are! And yet I say that these most wonderful things of which we have been speaking are available to us here today. It is possible for you to be born anew and to be saved and know it, and to receive the Spirit of God. John the baptist could not have seen or spoken of these things without the Holy Spirit. I am sure that he had the Spirit of God, although he was not in the time that belongs to us. He was not in the kingdom of God. We are told that the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John the baptist, so that he was not as great as believers in our day. This is a remarkable thing, but still, he saw this wonderful sight of which we have been speaking, and he spoke of it, too, saying, “I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove” John 1:32. The dove is used as a type of the Holy Spirit in Genesis in connection with Noah who has a peculiar place in that book as coming into the family of God. He was one who had faith. By faith he prepared an ark for the saving of his house. He had faith and the thought of the Spirit is linked up with him in the type.

Well now, I go on further. John the baptist goes on to say, “I knew him not; but he who sent me to baptise with water, he said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with the Holy Spirit” John 1:33. What great facts these are that John discloses to us! It is so important that we get them rightly into our souls. The Lord Jesus was the Object of the Spirit coming down from heaven. He descended from heaven and abode upon the Lord Jesus, and John says, I saw that! What a contrast it is to the first passage we read in Genesis, where the Spirit is seen simply as hovering! But here He is abiding upon the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus is using Him: “He it is who baptises with the Holy Spirit” John 1:32. It is the fact of how the Lord Jesus uses the Spirit and how the Spirit uses Him. And this is important in relation to the light that has come to us recently as to the Spirit, which has been unknown heretofore, so far as I know. The Spirit of God is spoken of more freely today than ever before; He is acting Himself in this relation. And these things of which we have been speaking are intended to affect us, that we should not in any way be slighting the Holy Spirit. We are exhorted not to grieve or to quench Him.

But John is calling attention to the One of whom is said that He baptises with the Holy Spirit. That is going on tonight. It may be going on in this very room. It may be that someone who has not had the Holy Spirit has received Him. It is a remarkable thing that the word “baptise” should be used ^[p. 308] in relation to the gift of the Spirit; and it is possible that someone here has been baptised with the Holy Spirit this very night. It is a wonderful fact if it is so. Most of us have been, but if you have not, it is time for you to look into the matter for you are now amongst those who have been baptised with the Holy Spirit. And so I would ask if you have the Spirit; and if you have, are you using Him, and is He using you? He will not only come into you and seal you, so that God takes account of you as His property, but He will use you and will make Himself available to you to be used.

And now I close, trusting that we are all beginning to think of the Holy Spirit with greater liberty, and that as we read our Bibles we are bringing in the Spirit and seeing what He can do for us, for He is doing much for us. What seasons He is affording in meetings like this! How wonderful to be available to Him instead of being engaged with the things that people generally go in for in this holiday season! We, through grace, are using this day to enter into the great and blessed things of the Spirit who seals us because we belong to God. We are His own property.

May God bless the word!