ExHSM07: The Spirit's Illumination

Introduction

Exordium. As a child, we lived in a 120-year-old home. The basement consisted of concrete floors, low ceilings, and concrete and stone walls. At the far end of the basement, on the wall behind my dad’s work bench, there was a hole, covered by a see-through grate. To this day, I have no idea what that was all about. Likely, it was a crawl space, but to a junior high boy it was either my hide away from the Russians or the source for all the creepy crawlies in our basement. Needless to say, the basement was creepy.

At times, the basement called for my presence—either by means of my mom needing me to get something or getting some laundry. I would slide the door open at the top of the stairs and would stand there terrified of what could happen to me if I were to broach the looming darkness. Like any normal stairwell, a light switch resided on the wall at the top of the stairs. When I switched on the light switch, all the uncertainty and fear were gone. I could now see what was in front of me. I could see the steep and narrow steps into the abyss. I was no longer afraid of the dark. The light had removed my uncertainty and dread.

As Paul would say in Ephesians 4, we were once “darkened in our understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them” (Eph 4:18). We lived in darkness until the Holy Spirit turned the lights on, revealing the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is the glory of God.

Purpose statement. Illumination is the sole work of God in revealing himself, through the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the person and work of Jesus Christ through the Word of God.

Simple outline. I have proposed to you a definition for divine illumination. Through this message, I would like to prove that definition to you by means of several different passages. (1) In several Old Testament passages, we see God’s illuminating character revealed, lost, and then consistently desired by his people. (2) In a few New Testament passages, we see how God preeminently revealed himself by the work of the Spirit and the revelation of Jesus Christ. (3) These broad truths are illustrated in Peter’s declaration in Matthew’s gospel. (4) Having proven the definition for illumination, I then will offer some ways to actively engage a work that is solely dependent on God.

A Longing to See God in the Old Testament

1. Foreshadowed in Genesis 1:2-3

Genesis 1:2–3 ESV

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Paul makes this connection in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts” (2 Co 4:6).

2. This longing displayed in Moses’ request to see God’s glory (Ex 33:18-23).

Exodus 33:18–23 ESV

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

In this context, the people of Israel have angered God by worshiping the golden calf. God initially informs Moses that he will not accompany the people of Israel, but would instead send an angel to lead them. Dissatisfied with this proposal, Moses pleads with the Lord to accompany his people. His people need God’s presence. Moses directly requests God to “show me your glory,” in essence seeking assurance from God that he would remain with his people. God grants the request—kind of. Ultimately, God places Moses in the cleft of a rock, shields him with his hand, and allows Moses to see his “back” but not his face. Even this limited view, results in Moses’ face shining and displaying to the people of Israel God’s presence with them.

3. This longing displayed in the Aaronic blessing (Nu 6:24-26).

Following Israel’s disobedience and following departure from Mount Sinai, they continue to struggle in a state of disobedience. Refusing to follow God’s directions, they fail to enter the promised land and begin their 40 years of wandering through the wilderness. Amid this time, God still resides with his people in the cloud and pillar of fire, eventually residing in the Tabernacle, set in the middle of the people of Israel. In coming to Numbers 6, we come to the end of the section dealing with the Nazirite vow. Part of the priestly duties consisted of a pronouncement of blessing in YHWH’s name, typically offered in the Tabernacle as people entered or left worship.

In Numbers 6:24-26, we read the Aaronic blessing (cf. Psalm 67:1-2 a similar blessing):

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

In this blessing, we understand God to be the ultimate source of grace and favor. Due to his mercy, God desired his people to sense his presence, love, and protection. Within the blessing, God’s people desire God’s face to shine upon them, indicative of God’s glory manifest in his light and favor.

Revealed in the person of Jesus

1. Christ is the radiance of the glory of God (He 1:3).

The author of Hebrews begins his letter with “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (He 1:1-2a). In times past, God spoke to his people in varied ways and at varied times. These were wonderful and miraculous moments of God’s intervention, but God offered a much better, thorough, and comprehensive form of communication in the sending of Jesus Christ, who is “the radiance of his glory and the exact imprint of his nature” (He 1:3).

The same God who only revealed a small portion of himself to Moses, and only appeared to his people in a cloud and pillar of fire, and ascended on the Tabernacle and following Temple in the form of a cloud—that same God appears to his creation in the person of Jesus Christ, who is the “radiance of the glory of God, and the exact imprint of his nature” (He 1:3).

2. Similarly, Paul makes this connection in both his letters to the Corinthians (2 Co 4:4, 6 and 1 Co 2).

Let’s work backwards in these letters. Let me draw your attention first to Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul acknowledges the spiritual blindness of unbelievers. Why are they blind to the truth? Because “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Co 4:4). They do not understand God, as revealed through Christ, because Satan has blinded their eyes.

However, the reverse is also true. Two verses later, in 2 Corinthians 4:6, Paul offers the alternative. He writes, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Co 4:6). A believer possesses the knowledge of the glory of God because God has shone in his heart.

What Paul offers in a succinct form in his second letter, he explains in greater detail in his first letter. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul explains why an unbeliever cannot understand the things of God. First, only the Spirit of God knows the things of God. Therefore, no one can understand the things of God unless the Spirit reveals those truths to him. Paul goes on. Since, believers have the Spirit, they are able to understand the “things freely given us by God” (1 Co 2:12). However, Paul reveals “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God … and he is not able to understand them” (1 Co 2:14).

1 Corinthians 2:10–14 ESV

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.... So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Illustrated in Peter’s Declaration

So then, let me remind us of the definition for illumination I am attempting to prove to you this morning: Illumination is the sole work of God in revealing himself, through the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the person and work of Jesus Christ through the Word of God.

The passages we have looked at so far prove the elements of this definition. However, before I offer a few points of application, let’s first consider a brief illustration.

Matthew 16:17 ESV

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

The context of Matthew 16:17 is Jesus' interaction with his disciples near Caesarea Philippi, where he asks them about his identity. After the disciples report various popular opinions about Jesus, he asks them directly who they think he is. Peter responds with the pivotal declaration, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God". This confession is significant as it recognizes Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah and divine Son of God. Jesus' response in verse 17 emphasizes that Peter's insight came not from human understanding but through divine revelation from God the Father.

Conclusion

This is not a call to passivity but rather action. Because illumination is divine work, we are called to (1) prayer for the illumination of others, and (2) proclamation of God’s Word for God has chosen to illuminate himself through His Word.

1. Prayer. While we cannot illuminate the truth in our own lives or anyone else’s life, we can plead with God that he would illuminate the truth in people’s lives.

2. Prioritize Scripture. We would do well to highly prioritize God’s revelation of his Son as illuminated to us by the Holy Spirit through his written Word over any other form of communication. We possess God’s divine revelation in that we possess his written Word which reveals, throughout its’ pages, the person of Jesus Christ. And we can understand this revelation because the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and minds.

a. Prioritize in your personal pursuit of knowing God. We often pursue knowledge via methods we find easier: asking others, mystical spiritual revelation … God has so chosen to reveal himself through the person of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture and illuminated by the Spirit. Therefore, we should prioritize knowing Scripture.

b. Prioritize Scripture in your proclamation of truth to others. Our personal counsel or any human rationale offers not eternally valuable truth about God if it is void of Scripture.

3. Appropriate Expectation. (1) Expect unbelievers to live in darkness and act like they live in darkness. Far too often we expect unbelievers to understand divine truths and live moral lives. This is unreasonable. (2) Expect God to illuminate the truth. He desires to reveal himself to all people groups throughout the world. He desires to draw people to himself. Expect that he will and that you can be part of it.

Final thought drawn from Anthony Burgess’ book God’s Sovereignty and Dominion Over the Hearts of Men. Anthony Burgess was a noted English Puritan minister and theologian, who pastored at Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire, in the mid-17th century. He also served as a member of the Westminster Assembly. John Hendrix, of monergism.com, synthesized Burgess’ argument.

The stony heart is not softened by argument, but by omnipotence. O dear soul, know this: the heart of fallen man is not merely resistant to God—it is dead, insensible, and as hard as stone. You may reason with it, entreat it, and persuade it with all the eloquence of angels, yet it remains unmoved.… What, then, shall awaken such a heart? Not the sharpest logic, nor the most compassionate plea, nor the terror of judgment alone. These are but arrows that glance off marble. It is the almighty power of God—omnipotent grace—that alone can penetrate. He must take away the stony heart and give a heart of flesh. He must speak, and the soul shall live. So let no man boast in his preaching, nor any sinner in his decision, for it is the Lord alone who quickens. And when He does, the once-unyielding heart begins to tremble, to feel, to love. Not by might, nor by power, nor by argument, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord. Beloved, the doctrine here is no cold speculation—it is the marrow of our hope. If the heart could be softened by mere reasoning, then salvation would lie in the persuasiveness of man. But Scripture declares, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” The stony heart signifies not only hardness, but lifelessness. It cannot feel the weight of sin, nor the sweetness of Christ. It is unmoved by the promises, unshaken by the threatenings, and utterly without spiritual sense. It may be stirred to outward reformation by argument, or restrained by providence, yet inwardly it remains the same—a heart of stone. But when omnipotence draws near, everything changes. The Spirit of God, like the wind in Ezekiel’s vision, breathes upon the dry bones, and life enters in. The Word once read without effect suddenly pierces. The cross of Christ, once folly, now breaks the soul with holy sorrow and floods it with joy. The law once hated is now delighted in. And this, dear Christian, is your comfort: that the grace which changed your heart was not fragile or fickle. It was almighty. And that same grace which began the work will complete it. He who turned stone into flesh shall also write His law upon it, and keep you from falling, until you are presented faultless before His glory with exceeding joy.