THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GLORY AND LIGHT
THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GLORY AND LIGHT
Sunday, June 14, 2015, the Year of Our Lord
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
When the mind sees the glory and beauty of Christ and his salvation presented in the glorious gospel of Christ, our soul is filled with the Spirit of glory then our mind and soul is filled with beauty and all that is truly good When our heart is filled with the Spirit of Glory then our soul becomes glorious and we live in the glory.
Spiritual darkness is in and on all men until the Lord by a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit shines into our hearts and creates light in us.
2 Pet. 1:19: “We have a sure word of prophecy, whereunto you do well that you take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”
The nature of spiritual darkness must be understood. A spiritually blind man is in spiritual darkness and is ignorant of spiritual things.
There is an outward spiritual darkness on men and an inward spiritual darkness in men.
Outward darkness is when men do not have that light by which they are enabled to see. Outward spiritual darkness is upon men when there is nothing to enlighten them about God and spiritual things. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to remove this darkness by sending the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.
Inward darkness arises from the natural depravity and corruption of the minds of men concerning spiritual things. Man’s mind is depraved and corrupted in things which are natural, civil, political and moral; as well as things which are spiritual, heavenly and evangelical---thus the continued scorn and mocking of evangelical Christians.
This depravity is held back from having its full effects by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Satan is being allowed to go so far and no further with the present persecution of Christianity in the United States.
Inward darkness results in man’s mind being unable to see, receive, understand or believe to the saving of his soul. Spiritual things, or the mysteries of the gospel, can only be received by the Holy Spirit creating a new light within the soul.
Eph. 4: 17-18: “I testify in the Lord, that you hereafter walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God (Theos) through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.”
However brilliant the mind, however brilliant the preaching might be, without the Holy Spirit creating this light in mankind, the unregenerate cannot receive, understand and agree with the truths preached, and so will not be led to salvation and sanctification.
The unregenerate walks in the futility of their mind. They seek after those things that cannot satisfy.
Gen. 6:5: “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Without being born again by the power of the Gospel of Christ, mankind has an unstable mind. The un-regenerate’s understanding is darkened and cannot judge things properly. Jn. 1:5: “The light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
In Scripture the heart includes the will also. Light is received by the mind, applied by the understanding and used by the heart. “But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Mt. 6:23)
There are three things among believers which arise from the natural futility of the mind:
- The believer wavers and is unstable, and fickle in the holy privilege of meditation, prayer, assembling with the saints, and hearing the Word.
- This instability is the cause of backsliding in believers leading them to conform to the world and its habits, and customs, which are vain and foolish.
- This futility of the mind deceives believers into following the lusts of the flesh and vain imaginations.
The unregenerate mind is alienated from the life and presence of the Lord. In His presence is joy forever more. 1 Chr. 16:27: “Glory and honor are in his (Jehovah) presence; strength and gladness are in His place.”
The life and presence of the Lord is worked in us, not naturally, but by his supernatural power spiritually by his grace. Eph. 2:1 “You had He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. In time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.”
The Spirit led life is the life we live to God. The Lord is the supreme goal and creator of that life. Through this life we seek to do all things to the glory of God. “For none of us lives to himself, and no man dies to himself.”
The life of God is that life which God lives in us by the Spirit through Jesus Christ. “…the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
It is that life whose fruits are holiness, grace and mercy. This life of God infused by the Holy Spirit never dies because it is eternal.
John 17:2-3: “You have given him (Jesus) power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. This is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You sent.”
The unregenerate mind is alienated from the life of God and is revealed two ways:
- Unwillingness and inability to receive things concerning this life in God.
- The unconverted mind chooses any other life than the life of God (1 Tim. 5:6; James 5:5; Rom 7:9; 9:32; 10:3)
The unconverted mind can be highly educated and talented, yet utterly unable to receive and understand spiritual things. It will not respond to the preaching of the gospel until it is renewed, enlightened and enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).
The natural man is totally opposite to the spiritual man (1 Cor. 15:44; June 19).
The first Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. The natural man comes from the first Adam and the spiritual man comes from the last Adam. The natural man has a rational mind, soul and will. He is able to use it. He trusts to his reasoning powers and sees no need for spiritual help.
The natural man does not see that the Lord God gave him a soul so that he might learn and receive what the Lord has to give. Man was not made to live independently of God.
What are “the things of the Spirit of God” which are not received by the natural man? (1 Co. 2:14)?
- Jesus and him crucified (1 Co. 2:2).
- The hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory.
(1 Co.2:7)
3. The things that are freely given to us by God (1 Co. 2:12).
4. The mind of Christ (1 Co. 2; 16)
These are things of the Holy Spirit of God. These are things that cannot be received except by sovereign, supernatural illumination. These are the things that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Co. 2:9)
These are things from God’s eternal counsel. These are the things which the mind of man at his first creation had no idea existed (Eph. 3: 8-11). Since the beginning of the world the fellowship of this mystery has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:9).
The natural man does not have the power to receive spiritual things. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. The natural man cannot, will not, and does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.
The natural man can have all knowledge of Jesus Christ, but still not accept him or the Holy Spirit. The knowledge without the Spirit has no transforming effect on his life.
The Spiritual man is transformed from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
Before spiritual things can be received we must understand them, agree with them and receive them. Spiritual things must agree with the wisdom, holiness and righteousness of God. Spiritual things will always glorify Jesus Christ, bring sinners to salvation and bring the church to grace and glory.
Some greatly praise moral principles and natural laws, but they clearly live as those who do not really believe the gospel. They ignore and despise those things brought to us by supernatural revelation and visitation.
The spiritual man by a spiritual light received from Jesus Christ discerns spiritual things. It is the Spirit of God who endows the minds of men with ability and light by which spiritual things can be spiritually discerned. This is created in us by an almighty act of the power of God (2 Cor. 4:6).
Paul teaches us that Christ ‘has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love” (Col. 1:13).
In 2 Pet. 2:4, Peter speaks of “chains of darkness” from which there is no escape.
God is great in goodness and beauty. The mind and soul that is stayed on him is filled with goodness and beauty. Why do men hate the things of God? This darkness fills the mind with perverse lusts that resist the will of God. The darkened mind sees first the things it lusts after. The unconverted mind does not want to turn to the Lord because it does not want to give us those lusts.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes. This power has nothing of the law or of nature. This power comes only by revelation and through the Holy Spirit drawing us to Christ.
Secondly there are those things declared in the gospel which have their foundation in the law and the light of nature. These are all moral duties. There is on all men an obligation to obey these moral laws according to the light they have been given.
The whole purpose of obedience is to bring glory to God. Once we receive the love of God into our hearts, then we delight to obey the Lord. This puts moral duties in a new framework, the framework of pleasing the Lord because we love Him.
By giving us His Holy Spirit, God strengthens and enables us to obey according to the gospel framework.
Ro. 6: 17-18: “God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.”
The gospel teaches the mysteries of the faith and lays them down as the foundation of faith and obedience. Then the gospel grafts all duties of moral obedience onto this tree of faith in Jesus Christ. This is what Paul does in his epistles. He begins by teaching the mysteries of the Christian faith. Then, on the basis of these mysteries and wonders of the gospel which has brought to us the grace and mercy of God, he teaches that we should, out of gratitude, seek to please him who so loved us by obeying him.
Religion (the law) turns this order of things upside down by making moral duties the foundation. This false interpretation takes out all that is spiritual and perverts the mystery of the gospel. They bring the gospel message down to their understanding and remain in darkness. 2 Cor. 4:4: “In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, less the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
The mind in the state of the Adam nature is so depraved and corrupted that it is not able to receive spiritual things. The soul of the Adam nature cannot and will not receive a personal relationship with Christ. The heart and will cannot act independently of the mind. The will is not free to act on its own. The eye is the natural light of the body. What the eye is to the body, the mind is to the soul. If the mind sees the glory and beauty of Christ and his salvation presented in the gospel, it will excite the heart to desire the fullness of the glory and all that is truly good. If the mind is deceived, both will and heart will be deceived also.
Where the mind is depraved, so will the heart be also.
Eph. 4:22-23: “Put off concerning the former conversation of the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust; be renewed in the spirit of your mind; that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Ro. 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God.
When our soul is filled with the beauty and glory of Christ, everything in our life reflects that beauty and glory. We become the glorious church prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. – I entered into the labors of John Owen (1616-1683) – The Holy Spirit. Comments and conclusions are my own and does not reflect the views of Rev. Owen.