Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:07 Sure. It's sermon Q and a pastor Michael, here with you. I am here with pastor
Speaker 2 00:00:11 Craig and pastor Alex. And on August 8th, 2021. Uh, actually I think it was just you, Alex, you preached on the tabernacle from the book of Exodus and talked about, uh, the holy spirit filling people, equipping them to build the tabernacle with the skills and the gifts. And so since you preached it, we're going to ask pastor Craig a question.
Speaker 1 00:00:32 It feels like the right thing to do.
Speaker 2 00:00:33 So in, in the Bible, you have a difference between the old Testament and the new Testament, how the holy spirit interfaced or indwelled et cetera. So if I'm an old Testament Saint, what does it, what does it mean that I'm filled with the holy spirit
Speaker 3 00:00:46 In the old Testament? When the holy spirit visits people, when, when he comes upon people, he always gives them extra strength beyond their ability, extra power, extra wisdom, whatever it is, something like that, that that is beyond their own capacity. And so, um, profits are able to prophesize. Sampson's able to kill a whole bunch of Philistines, you know, whatever it is. Um, this is this, isn't an act of God where it comes, this power comes upon them and leaves based on the indwelling of the holy spirit. Now I say indwelling, meaning that it's temporary, right? So he fills them to do a certain specific work that God is calling them to do. And then he leaves, this is not the case in the new test,
Speaker 2 00:01:25 Right? So it could be for just a moment or like, um, I think king David, he prayed take not your holy spirit from me. Right. Which is not when we sin create me a clean heart. Right. But we got to nuance that part. Right. But he was actually concerned as a king. He gets the spirit. But if he disobeyed in certain ways, the spirit would leave him. It's
Speaker 4 00:01:44 Not pointing of God for this role that he had. Well,
Speaker 3 00:01:48 And the same thing for his son, Solomon, right? Solomon says, God says, what do you want from me? And he says, give, give me wisdom. And so Solomon had a characteristic of wisdom beyond his years that carried him through minus the women issues, but carried him through all his, so those, but all of those where the holy spirit comes to give him those moments of clarity, of wisdom of the bill. And they get so used to it, that the people look at them and they say, oh, these guys are like, they're, they're in touch with God. You know, because they are filled with the spirit on a regular basis. So when David, I'm sorry. So when David, uh, sins with Bathsheba, he notices the spirit is not with me. So he says, take not your holy spirit because he's so
Speaker 2 00:02:28 Used to it. Wow. That's that's good. So there's a dude in Exodus 31 named Bezalel. He was the project manager of the tabernacle, but here's, here's what Exodus 31 3 says, God says, I filled him with the spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship. So there was something about Bezalel that was so unique, sort of like salmon, salmon keep calling him. Sam Samson is strength. You look at that and you say that superhuman or Solomon in his wisdom, you say, that's not, that's super human. People were looking at Bezlo and saying, that's
Speaker 1 00:03:02 Not normal in the spirit of God. You know, did that. And even if the spirit of God left
Speaker 2 00:03:07 Him, those abilities seem probably to still be with him. So this reminds me all right. So Alex, the new Testament changes the categories almost completely. So Ephesians one talks about we are sealed with the holy spirit. Right. And it strikes me that Paul's framework, especially is that it's permanent. So is that true? What's the difference between being filled in the old Testament and sealed in the new test. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:03:33 And we'll even talk about the, well, okay. Let's just talk about the difference between those two things, because there's also a reality that you can be filled in the new Testament as well. So yeah, so sealing and in dwelling, a new covenant promise of salvation. So when you, when you place your trust in Jesus Christ, the holy spirit takes up residence inside of you. And then in Ephesians one, like you said, it calls it the sealing of the spirit, which is the evidence of your salvation, right? This is the thing that shows you the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Right. That's what it says there in Ephesians one. So, so the indwelling, the ceiling that, the reality that, um, now that that Christ has died in the, the veil has been torn, right? And the holy spirit comes and actually lives in. People works together. In fact, the way that efficients one describes this process is in him. You also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, you believed in him. So there's this process of your ears, open up to hearing what God has to say, the truth of the gospel. And then you believe right. And all of this works together in the moment of your belief, the holy spirit takes up residence inside of you and is the promise of so, yep, sure.
Speaker 2 00:04:48 And I want to bring clarity. You weren't unclear. I just, in the old Testament, the old Testament promised that the holy spirit would come with the time of the Messiah and take residents and put the law inside of
Speaker 4 00:05:00 Them. You a new heart and a new soul. I'm going to put a new spirit inside of my spirit inside of you yet
Speaker 3 00:05:06 Is what Peter said at the, at the moment of Pentecost. This is what Joel talked about. So these people are not drunk. Like you think they are being filled with the holy spirit. And this is a unique filling because now it changes from the holy spirit who, who comes upon people and then leaves
Speaker 4 00:05:22 At a specific point in time. Right now it's,
Speaker 3 00:05:24 He's going to be upon you. So you can turn the world
Speaker 5 00:05:26 Upside down for the gospel. He's going to be with you forever. Right? Right.
Speaker 2 00:05:29 So Craig, I got, I've got a question. So we we've nailed down old Testament filling. We've nailed down a new Testament, sealing into Ong that's permanent. So we have temporary, we have permanent, but then Paul says be filled with the spirit and then don't quench the spirit. So if the spirit never leaves, how can I get more of it? It's good. Or how can I have, sorry. Thank
Speaker 0 00:05:49 You. Good job. Good theology. <inaudible> germaphobes. That was the goal. So how can I get more of something that I have all of or push away? Something that I have all of that
Speaker 3 00:06:08 I can't get rid of it. Yeah. That's a great question. Uh, over and over in the new Testament, we are promised the holy spirit. Like you said, Alex, I loved the way that you put it. When we believe we're filled with the holy spirit, we received the holy spirit. He took takes into welling. And in first Corinthians six, it literally says, don't, you know that you're are
Speaker 0 00:06:26 You, you are the temple of the spirit of God, right? Let's live lives.
Speaker 3 00:06:31 And I think a long with that idea, DIA, if we live with the spirit, let's walk in step with the spirit. So if you're living with the spirit, then walk like the spirit would like walk as if you are the representation of Christ. And the here's the thing centers that don't have. The spirit are slaves to sin, but believers who have the holy spirit are freed from sin. Now we do have a choice where we can walk back into the prison cell. And that's the difference. We walked back into the prison cell. We put the chains back on and we can choose to not walk in step with the spirit, or we can live in the freedom that the spirit brings us. That's what gets me like this. There's a new theology out there that seems to indicate that God will get used to my foibles. God will get used to my sin, the sin that easily besets me. That goes against the power of the holy spirit who gives us freedom from sin. And so when we, when we look at people and we say, God understands where you're at. No he doesn't. He has given you the power to overcome. There's no reason for you to be putting the shackles back on
Speaker 5 00:07:32 For empathy that allows you to just live in it for a long time.
Speaker 3 00:07:34 Correct? Yeah. So walk with the spirit. Don't, don't suppress the spirit. Don't the Bible calls it, searing your conscience, searing what the spirit is doing. Walking step with the spirit. You'll be amazed. We are more than victors. We are more than Congress for him who loved us. It's all victorious talk. We just need to learn to give the spirit control and start taking it away. Yeah, I
Speaker 4 00:07:54 Think, uh, what's an interesting illustration of this is, um, you have all of the spirit that you need, right? Like you talked about filling of the spirit. It's kind of gives this concept as if like more of him could become, like, get into you. Right. And that's not the idea. The idea is you are restricting access, uh, inside yourself, right? So that, like, there are parts that you're leaving off limits to the spirit of God to be able to work. So when you talk about filling of the spirit, it's literally you opening up more space in your life for the spirits of this work. And this comes when we walk and step with the spirit. So Colossians one, nine and 10 says, so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Speaker 4 00:08:40 So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. So good. So when you say to another Christian or of another Christian, like there's like this qualification, you go, that person is filled with the holy spirit. Right. You see it all over, like the first half of acts, right. There are these particular people who seem to rise to the chop in churches and it's like, and he was filled with the spirit. Yep. He's more surrendered. Yeah. He's more there's. Yeah. That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 00:09:12 Yeah. All right. So kind of summarize, please. If I am an old covenant, old Testament follower of God, I can be temporarily filled with the spirit to empower me, but I don't have the indwelling sealed holy spirit, uh, after Jesus came resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, all that good stuff. The book of acts, uh, if I've trusted in Christ, truly I am sealed. I have the holy spirit forever.
Speaker 5 00:09:33 I will never have lesser more of him. You know what I mean? He called that justification justification
Speaker 2 00:09:38 I made right with God's spirit sealing. Good. But as a Christian, I can quench the spirit, push them away, ignore him, not walking step with them more. It can be filled with the spirit. Uh, and is it possible that may be the spirit will temporarily give me abilities, fill me for a moment to do something that he really
Speaker 1 00:09:57 Wants me to do. And then sort of like the old Testament,
Speaker 2 00:10:01 But it's filling and indwelling.
Speaker 5 00:10:03 All of this that's happened to me. How many times, every time you preach
Speaker 0 00:10:06 Lord willing, I just keeps getting better when we breach. I w I'm sure you pray this one.
Speaker 2 00:10:16 I'm like, God, fill me with your spirit. Which means empower me in a way that impacts where you bear much will go beyond
Speaker 4 00:10:23 The ability of my words and make them your words and make it yours.
Speaker 3 00:10:27 I literally think when I preach, I think the only thing that can mess this message up is his mate. That's
Speaker 1 00:10:35 Awesome. All right. Well, I want to thank you guys for joining us. This has been a fun discussion and we have so much more on sermon Q and a to join us.
