The Spirit Assures

Psalm 139:7-10—“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

We walk into these doors in the presence of the Spirit who was hear before the first door was open. We don’t welcome Him hear, He welcomes us.

If you’re not a Christian, He wants to make you new today

If you are a Christian, He wants you to leave here with a renewed confidence of the Father’s love for you.

In just a moment we’ll hear a reading from the text for today’s sermon in Galatians 4:4-7. Turn there now.

While you’re turning, 4 quick announcements:

1) A word about PBC. We are Worshipers.

Part of faithful worship is faithful giving.

I don’t need your money, PBC doesn’t need your money, but you need to be a giver

That’s true. But, God used you this year to meet the needs of this church and support ministries and missionaries across this region and the globe. Thank you.

2) No TableTalk tonight

Will resume next week

3) Bible Reading Plan for 2022

Available in the bulletin or at the blue flag

4) Sunday School in 2022

Three new classes beginning next Sunday...

A new Explore the Bible class taught by John Rogers & Bubba Jones

How to Grow taught by Jake Rogier

Church History taught by Sterling Tollison

If you’re not in a Sunday School class, but you’re interested in one of these or our other classes, go to the blue flag after the service

Now look in your Bibles at Galatians 4:4 as Phoebe Garcia comes to read for us.

Scripture Reading (Galatians 4:4-7)

Prayer of Praise (God is Truthful), Phoebe Garcia

Lead Me to the Cross

Man of Sorrows

Prayer of Confession (Al Koth), Lying

We Fall Down

NEW CITY CATECHISM #52

Revelation 4 says the day is coming when the saints will gather around Jesus’s throne in heaven and cast down our crowns before Him, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

What hope does everlasting life hold for us?

It reminds us that this present fallen world is not all there is; soon we will live with and enjoy God forever in the new city, in the new heaven and the new earth, where we will be fully and forever freed from all sin and will inhabit renewed, resurrection bodies in a renewed, restored creation.

PASTORAL PRAYER

Thanksgiving—God the Spirit

You cause us to be born again

You help us to understand the Scriptures when we read them

You pray for us when we don’t know how to pray

You convict us when we sin

You give gifts to believers to serve the church

You call and equip men to be elders to lead local churches

You assure us of the Father’s love for us

Prayer for PBC—Those grieving the loss of a loved one

Help us to grieve, but not like those with no hope

Help us to grieve with those who are grieving

Help us not to say unhelpful things when others grieve

Help us to share our burdens so others can grieve with us

Prayer for sister church—Reformation Christian Fellowship (Kenny D’auria)

Covid outbreak—physical health of members

Elders as they finalize ministry plan for 2022

Prayer for US—Supreme Court

Chief Justice John Roberts; Associate Justices Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Stephen Breyer, Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas

Humility to listen well, especially to those viewpoints that may challenge their presuppositions

Courage to make right decisions, regardless of how those decisions are received

Wisdom to make the decisions that would lead to the protection of the unborn, justice for the marginalized, and human flourishing for all

Dobbs v Jackson

Prayer for the world—so-called “People’s Republic of China”

Not a republic

Cares little about the best interests of its 1.5 billion people

President Xi Jinping (perhaps the most powerful man in the world)

Father, you have laugh at the power of renegade rulers and nations

Humble Xi Jinping and turn his heart wherever you choose

Against this bloodthirsty nation that has committed genocide against ethnic minorities like the Uyghur people and against the unborn. Give world leaders and influencers courage to speak against the evils of this regime, remembering that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

Against the persecution of Christians in China. Thousands of churches are damaged or destroyed, citizens are rewarded for providing information about Christians

Local churches—Faithful unto death

Laborers—especially the dozens of UUPGs like the Ah-jeh (Azhe), the Bow-nwow (Baonuo), and the Dah-lee low-low (Dali Lolo)

Pray for the sermon

SERMON

Christmas at the Boutot household was extra special this year. After five years of planning, waiting, and praying for another son, we were finally able to celebrate Christmas with our youngest child Ezekiel.

Most of you know that our family traveled to Colombia, South America in February of this year to bring then two-year-old Ezekiel home.

Ever since we brought him home in March, we’ve been bonding with this little guy. Celebrating Christmas together was just one more step in the bonding process.

Three Phases of International Adoption:

Planning phase (“paper pregnancy”)

Travel phase (“gotcha trip”)

Bonding phase (the rest of your life)

I believe this process gives us an analogy about the work of the Trinity.

Turn to Galatians 4:4 and I’ll show you...

We’ve been examining this text for the past few weeks in our study of the Trinity.

Our common refrain has been that you cannot rightly tell the Christmas story the Trinity.

We’ve zoomed in on what this passage teaches us about the Father and the Son. This morning we’ll consider what this passage teaches us about the Trinity.

Galatians 4:4-7—“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Notice that this isn’t merely a text about the Trinity, it’s a text about adoption.

Notice the Father is the architect behind the planning phase of our adoption. He’s the One who sends the Son.

And the Son of course is the One who endures the travel phase of our adoption. He’s the One who leaves the glories of heaven to pay the price to rescue a people.

The Spirit, then, is given to secure the bonding phase of our adoption. He is given to us by the Father and the Son to help assure us that we truly belong to God.

Could it be that many Christians do not feel like or act like Christians because we fail to see the massive importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

Four questions:

WHO Is the Spirit?

v. 6—And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

He Is A Person

When we say "person,” some people get confused because we usually use the term “person” to refer to a human person. That’s because those are the only types of persons we physically see.

But we regularly say and sing that we believe God exists in three persons. What do we mean by person?

When we say the Father is a person, we’re saying He is an individual being that does personal things in relationship with others. He speaks, He thinks, He feels, He chooses, etc. God the Father is a person.

The same is true of God the Son. The Scriptures are clear that Jesus speaks, thinks, feels, acts, and more. God the Son is a person.

In the same way that the Father and the Son are both persons, the Holy Spirit is also a person.

This means the Spirit is not an “it.” He’s not an impersonal energy like the Force in Star Wars. He’s a speaking, thinking, feeling, acting person.

Four reasons why we believe the Holy Spirit is a person...

The Spirit speaks

Romans 8 says He prays for us

In John 14, Jesus says the Spirit will teach the disciples “all things”

Several time in Acts (8:29, 13:2) the Spirit speaks directly to individuals

Gravity doesn’t speak. But the Spirit does, because He’s a person.

The Spirit thinks

Romans 8:27 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit has a mind, which of course is used for thinking.

In 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 we’re told that the Spirit uses His mind to understand the thoughts of the Father

The Force in Star Wars doesn’t think. But the Spirit does, because He’s a person.

The Spirit feels

In Ephesians 4:30 we are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit by our sinful speech. So the Holy Spirit feels grief.

Hebrews 10:29 tells us that those who understand the Gospel but reject it by their sinful lives cause the Holy Spirit to feel outrage.

Electricity doesn’t get sad or outraged. But the Spirit does, because He’s not an impersonal energy He’s a person.

The Spirit acts.

The New Testament is overflowing with the activity of the Spirit...

He overshadowed Mary so that she conceived the baby Jesus. (Luke 1:35)

He led and empowered Jesus during His earthly ministry (Matthew 4:1; 12:28)

He inspired men to write God’s Word without error. (2 Peter 1:21)

He led the apostles as the church was born (Acts 8:29, 10:19-20, 11:12, 13:2, 13:4, etc.)

When you talk about the Spirit, don’t call Him an “it.” He’s a person. Refer to the Spirit like Jesus did. Every time Jesus uses a pronoun for the Spirit it’s always masculine.

In John 14, 15, 16, the masculine pronoun “He” is used by Jesus to refer to the Spirit 12 times [1]

Who is the Spirit? He’s a person. But not just any person...

He Is God

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Son

Two reasons why we believe the Holy Spirit is God...

The Spirit has always existed

He didn’t begin existing at Pentecost. If you go to the very beginning of your Bibles you’ll see the Spirit mentioned in Genesis 1:2

Genesis 1:2—“… the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

Hebrews 9:14 calls Him the “eternal Spirit”

There never was a time when the Holy Spirit was not

The Spirit has all of God’s attributes

Psalm 139:7-10 teaches that the Spirit is omnipresent (everywhere)

John 14:26 and 1 Corinthians 2 teach that the Spirit is omniscient (all-knowing)

Examining all that the Spirit does makes it clear that He is omnipotent (all-powerful)

We could go on. Everything that it means to be God is true of the Holy Spirit, because He is God.

One of the clearest examples of both the personality and the divinity of the Holy Spirit is given in Acts 5.

Ananias lied about the price of a piece of property that he sold to give to the church.

In Acts 5:3, Peter confronts Ananias and says that Satan filled Ananias’s heart to “lie to the Holy Spirit”

You don’t lie to a force or an energy. You lie to persons. Ananias could lie to the Holy Spirit because the Spirit is a person.

In Acts 5:4, Peter concludes by saying that when Ananias lied to the Spirit, He had “lied to God”

How can Peter say this? Because the Holy Spirit is God!

Christian: when Jesus sends you His Spirit, He isn’t sending us an abstract force, but a person to relate with. And He’s not sending us a lesser person than Himself, He’s sending us the third person of the Trinity, who is coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son.

Who is the Spirit? He is a person, not a force. But He’s not just any person. He’s God.

WHERE is the Spirit?

We’ve already said that the Spirit is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere. He’s not limited by space. There is nowhere the Spirit is not.

BUT, the Bible is clear that God sometimes manifests His presence in a special way to bless His people

For example, God was everywhere in the OT, but was present in a special way to bless His people in the temple

Similarly, verse 6 tells us the Spirit is present in a special way in the hearts of those who have been adopted into God’s family

v. 6—And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Unbeliever: you too can receive the Spirit when you repent and believe in Jesus!

Good news: once you repent and believe in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living within you!

Christian: this should be a great motivation to holiness!!!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20—“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

“But obedience is hard. I need more of the Spirit!”

You have all the Spirit that you need to be a faithful Christian.

John Owen—“Where [the Holy Spirit] is given, He is given absolutely, and not more or less.” [2]

“What about being filled with the Holy Spirit?”

Ephesians 5:18—“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”

“Filling implies receiving more of something.” Not necessarily.

If I say “I filled the pool with water,” I’m saying that I added more water to the pool. But what if I say, “I filled the pool with a hose”? I’m using the same word to describe something very different. [3]

Being filled with the Spirit could mean receiving more of the Spirit, like filling your swimming pool by adding more water.

Or being filled with the Spirit could mean that the Spirit is the means by which your life is filled, like a hose is the means by which your swimming pool is filled.

I think when Paul tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, he’s not telling us to ask for more of the Spirit in our lives.

In fact, the NT never tells Christians to ask for the Spirit or to ask for more of the Spirit. We already have Him!

Paul is telling us to allow the Spirit to fill us with a Christ-honoring obedience. Don’t be controlled by alcohol or anything else that takes over your body. Be controlled by the Spirit as He fills you up with obedience to Jesus.

Where is the Spirit? If you’re a Christian, He’s living in your heart. And He’s not waiting on you to ask Him or live a certain way before He really fills you up with His presence. He’s already truly and fully living in you.

WHY Do We Need the Spirit?

There’s many right and true answers we could give to this question...

We need the Spirit because without Him we cannot be born again (John 3:5; Titus 3:5)

Because He helps us to understand the Scriptures when we read them (1 Corinthians 2:13-14)

Because He prays for us when we don’t know how to pray (Romans 8:26)

Because He convicts us when we sin (John 16:8)

Because He gives gifts to believers to serve the church (1 Corinthians 12:11)

But Paul mentions a specific reason we need the Spirit in verses 6-7...

vv. 6-7—And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

To use our analogy from earlier, the Father sends the Spirit to help you bond with the family you’ve been adopted into. He sends the Spirit to assure you that you really belong to God.

Three truths:

We are God’s children

[Talking to Christians. Not a Christian? None of this is true of you, but it can be!!!]

v. 7—“you are no longer a slave, but a son”

You used to be a slave to the law, unable to obey it yet doomed to suffer its penalty

Now you’re a son because you’ve been adopted by God the Father

Wait a minute, what about the women in the room?

Paul isn’t being sexist. He knows that it’s sons, not daughters, who are legal heirs of the inheritance. So he’s not forgetting you, sisters, when he calls you sons. He’s elevating you to full heir.

Every child of God is a full heir of the inheritance!

God shares all His gifts with all His kids.

We don’t always feel like God’s children

Why does Paul devote so much of this letter to helping the Galatians understand that they’re not slaves, but sons?

Because even though they’ve been adopted into the family of God, they don’t always feel like it.

And if you’re honest, neither do you.

We doubt our sonship when we sin

We doubt our sonship when we suffer

Where will you turn in that moment?

The Galatians were turning to the Mosaic law. They were looking for comfort in their law-keeping. “If we obey all the rules, then we’ll be assured that we’re really God’s children.”

“That’s why I’m suffering. I’m not being good enough! I’m being punished”

“What I need to do when I sin is to try harder, pull myself up by my boostraps, etc.”

Paul is appalled that the Galatians would turn to the Mosaic law for assurance. The only thing the law can assure you of is that you deserve hell!

Where can you go when you need to be assured that you belong to God?

The Father has sent the Spirit to help you

The Father wants you to know you’re His child.

That’s why He sent the Spirit!!!

v. 6—And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

That word “Abba” is an Aramaic word, the language Jesus would’ve spoken while on earth

We’re sometimes told this word means “daddy,” since this term was often used by children to refer to their dads.

But that’s probably not quite right since “Abba” was also used by adults when they addressed their fathers.

Means something like “dear dad,” or “dear father.”

Isn’t it interesting that the Father sends the Spirit into our hearts and this is what He’s causing us to cry out?

Not “God is holy”

Not “I am sinful”

Not even “God is Trinity” or “Jesus is Lord”

All those things are true, of course

But the Spirit comes into our hearts first and foremost leading us to cry out to God as our dear Father.

What does this tell you about God’s desire for a deep relationship with you, Christian?

It’s significant that the word “crying” is in the present tense

The Spirit’s work to assure us that we belong to God isn’t a one-time thing.

Your whole life is the bonding phase, as the Spirit over and over again works to assure you that you belong to the Father.

Every time you pray to your dear Father in heaven, He’s assuring you. Whether you’re telling Him you’re sorry for sinning again, asking for help in your suffering, praising Him for His kindness, telling Him your anger or confusion, or asking for help for a friend.

This is why prayer is such an important part of the Christian life. It is as we cry out to our Father than we gain assurance that we belong to Him!

Why do we need the Spirit? Because the Father wants you to know that you belong to Him!

Bonding phase has been harder than we thought. Not because of Zeke, but because of us.

How different is our heavenly Father! Not only does He want to bond with us, He sent His Spirit to work in our hearts to help us grow to know that we belong to Him.

Nicene Creed

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life.

He proceeds from the Father and the Son,

and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

There Is A Redeemer

BENEDICTION

Romans 15:13—“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

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