10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
10250 North Freeway @ West
Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
Peculiar
Misunderstandings
Written by Dr.
Lester Hutson
Copyright
- Lester Hutson - 1989
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced
without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.
Message #11
MISUNDERSTANDING
THE CURRENT ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
(Part #7)
"Submission to the Holy Spirit"
Text * I Thessalonians 5:19
D.The Holy Spirit is the source of spiritual success for believers, but he only works in the believer to generate spiritual victory and success as the believer submits to him:
1. This is certainly not to say that the Holy Spirit can not work in a believer without the consent and support of that believer. He not only can, but he does. Being God, he can do what he pleases, with or without the support of the believer. As we've already discussed, he can use providence to direct our lives. He may very well use providence to spur, wake-up, or stop a rebellious believer. He certainly did so with Peter and the other disciples who went back to their old fishing trade in the scenes of John 21. It was not a case of rebellion, but the ability of the Spirit to unilaterally use providence in the life of a believer which is seen in Acts 16:7 where "The Spirit suffered them not." He simply would not allow Paul and his traveling party to go where they had in mind.
Although, I am not speaking here of the general providential workings of the Holy Spirit as they relate to believers. Instead, I am speaking specifically of the power and help of the Holy Spirit to give strength, spiritual victory, and fruitfulness on a daily basis.
2. In this regard, the Holy Spirit works in us as we yield to his control. The intent of God for believers is abundant life. He said in John 10:10, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." His words in I John 1:4 are, "and these things write we unto you, that your joy might be full.'
In order to accomplish his intentions for us, God, in the person of his Holy Spirit, lives within us, I Corinthians 3:16. God in us is a great source of power; in fact, all the power any believer needs for spiritual success. I John 4:4 says of the Spirit of God, "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." This spirit living in us can give us all the power we need for spiritual success, victory, and fruitfulness. He works in us "both to will and to do of his good pleasure," Philippians 2:13. Remember Hebrews 13:20-21 which says, "Now the God of peace...Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight..."
The power in believers for spiritual success is not within themselves. If it be of themselves, then it is in the energy of their flesh. Although, such self-generated activity does not glorify God. Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself," Luke 9:23. It is only that which originates with God that ultimately redounds to the glory of God. Thus Paul wrote, "Not that we are sufficient of oursglues to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God," II Corinthians 3:5. Self-wills and self-generated efforts, even to the glory of God, are worthless. They are obnoxious to God and worthless to the one performing them. It is only when God works in and through us that our efforts are of any spiritual value. This is the point of Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." It is "Christ in us" that counts (Colossians 1:27); and He is in us in the person of the Holy Spirit, Romans 8:9. Thus, Zechariah the prophet wrote, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts," Zechariah 4:6.
God forbid that any one of us should ever think that any spiritual success, victory, or fruitfulness we enjoy is ours because of our own strength or ability! Of ourselves, we are nothing. Paul made that point crystal clear when he said, "So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase," I Corinthians 3:7. Were it not for his Holy Spirit living within us, we'd be as impotent for spiritual success as every lost man. Yes, we could put on a good, human generated performance which might look good and impressive to those around us. But, God would count it wood, hay, and stubble. It is only that which God works in us, by his Holy Spirit, that constitutes true, eternal success as God sees it. But, as we yield to him, he works in our lives to make us the mature, victorious, fruitful, and spiritually successful sons he wants us to be.
3. Although, he will do that only as we submit to his control. The apostle Peter is discussing this fact when he says, "Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." Then he followed this call for genuine humility with these words, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." See I Peter 5:5-10. Note well when the strengthening and settling come. They come only after the yielding or submitting. In other words, there are some great things the Spirit of God would do for God's children, but he will not do those things where the heart is rebellious and un-submitted. Israel's first king, Saul, is a good foreshadow and illustration of this point. When he was humble and submitted to the Lord, God's Spirit worked in him to give victories over the Ammonites, Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, and the kings of Zobah. See I Samuel 11-14, especially 14:47. But, once he became proud and rebellious, the Spirit of the Lord no longer gave him victories, I Samuel 15. In fact, I Samuel 16:14 says, "The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul," and once the Spirit no longer strengthened him, he went from failure to failure to ruin. See I Samuel 16-31.
God, through his Spirit, wants our daily deliverance, victory, and fruitfulness in life. But, when we are proud and self-willed, he will not supply the strength apart from which spiritual victory is impossible. As God told Saul, "Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king," I Samuel 15:23. Jesus said, "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be obased," Luke 14:11. Though Proverbs 1:24-31 is usually applied to the lost, it is not necessarily limited to them. The passage is very applicable to those believers who function in their own strength rather than in the strength of the Lord. These verses say, "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh: When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."
Those who would claim the daily power of the Holy Spirit for victory and service must yield self to his control. Key to his power is yielding and submission. That's why Romans 6:13 says, "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." Peter put it this way in I Peter 4:1-2, "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will Of God." ,James wrote, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God," James 4:6-7. The Holy Spirit could overpower us and make us do right, but he won't. He could go ahead and empowerand deliver us even in our self-will and rebellion; but he won't. To the contrary, such self-will withholds his power and blessings. As Isaiah put it in Isaiah 59:1-2, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." When a believer ceases to humbly submit himself to God's control through his Spirit, he loses his power to resist temptations, his compassion, his true godly zeal and boldness, his love, his joy, his patience, his objectivity, his impartiality, his meekhess, his faith, and every other virtue which is so necessary in the service of God. Thus, Paul warned in I Corinthians 9:27, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." God promised in I Corinthians 10:13 that, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Although, that promise is only possible through the Holy Spirit within giving power for victory. Apart from his delivering power, God's people fall into many defeats. For example, I Timothy 6:9 warns, "But they that will be rich fall in to temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." Plenty of God's people have fallen into lying, deceit, immorality, pride, negativism, drunkenness, hatred, thievery, robbery, murder, and every other imaginable sin. Yes, God's people. How and why did they do it? Not because the Holy Spirit didn't live within them or because he couldn't deliver them. The answer is that they were not submitted to him and he therefore would not provide the strength or power for spiritual victory. Thus, the believer, who could have won, lost. Why? Because the Holy Spirit only empowers and gives spiritual victory to those who are submitted to him. This explains why the lives of so many of God's people consist of one continuous line of defeats, void of spiritual victory and prosperity.
4. This is the point of our text, I Thessalonians 5:19 which says, "Quench not the Spirit." "Quench" is from the Greek word "shennumi" (shen'-noo-mee). Strong's Greek Dictionary defines it to mean "to extinguish." Since the Holy Spirit only controls our lives when we voluntarily submit to him, the rise of pride or self-will within us diminishes his control. Just as the light of a candle grows ever dimmer as oxygen supply is diminished, even so the Holy Spirit's power through our lives reduces as self grows. Quenching the spirit is failing to submit to him, for that failure limits his power in our lives, thus taking away our spiritual victory.
Quenching the Holy Spirit is the antithesis of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 exhorts God's children to "be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." The phrase "be filled with" is from the Greek word "pietoo" (play-ro'-o) and means "to level up a hollow; to furnish influence; to be complete." What Paul is saying is that every aspect of our lives is to be level full of the influence of the Holy Spirit. Instead of him being forced into the small corners of our lives by self-will; he should be given full or complete control. Whatever he says in his word, we should obey. Whatever providential occurrences he allows into our lives, we should accept with thanksgiving. As Paul said in Philippians 4:11, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Our attitude should ever be "not my will, but thine, be done," Luke 22:42 (Matthew 6:10). That says we submit to his will in forgiving one another, who to marry, dress codes, speech patterns, job practices, priorities, attitudes, and every, other way.
Being "filled with the Spirit" is not having more or less of his person, as some think. Instead, it is letting him have full control: being filled with his influence and power for service. Every believer already has his total person, but not every believer has given that person total control. But, he wants control that he might supply the power for total victory and abundant living. That's what a "Spirit filled" life is: one controlled by the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is not to be equated with filling a glass with water. The Holy Spirit of God is not an inanimate substance like water. He is a living person. No believer can get more or less of his person. What he can have is more of the Spirit's influence or control. And, how much better off every believer would be, if he were more under the influence or control of the Holy Spirit of God! The power for infinite Christian victory and service is there; yet few avail themselves of even a small part of that power. Paul insists that our lives should be "filled with the Spirit." The question today is not "How much of the Spirit do you have?" but rather "How much of you does the Spirit have?" Today he is very much alive and at work. He is doing many, many great things unilaterally of our involvement. But, there are some very wonderful things he wants to do in and through us; but which he will not do apart from our submission to him.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"