Gospel and Growth Series by Pastor David K. Spurbeck Sr.

 

Message #3 - 12-3-00 – Synopsis and Outline

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE GOSPEL

 

Some find it easy to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit immersing a person into the Body

of Christ and regenerating the person while denying His involvement in other parts of salvation.  They see that a person isn't "saved" without these works of the Spirit.  Yet some of these reject any involvement of the Holy Spirit up until these two works take place.  There are distinct problems with the convicting work of the Spirit of God and His giving the gift of faith.  I am amazed at the their lack of understanding concerning the fallen condition of the human race and the biblical descriptions of the condition of mankind before salvation.  This message involves the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit and the gospel.

 

The first question on #1 is: "What is so important about the gospel for salvation?"  We have already studied Romans 1:16 where the gospel is presented as the inherent power of God unto salvation.  The facts of the gospel are the agency by which a person is saved and nothing else.  This the mechanism by which agency one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Even though the gospel concerning Jesus Christ has a power of its own, the gospel itself cannot bring salvation without the working of the Holy Spirit.  Without the work of the Spirit of God, a person could present the gospel a billion times and not even one person would be saved.  This is more than His baptizing work and His regenerating work.  He must work to overcome everything in mankind that prevents him or her from believing the gospel. 

 

Man cannot generate the faith necessary to be saved.  The best any human being can do is to believe or give assent to historical facts and accept them as true and real.  Without divine intervention, no one can or would be saved.  Why?  Under II.C. there is a list of at least eight problems with fallen mankind that make it impossible to believe the gospel with an acceptable faith.  Every human being has at least two types of spiritual blindness:  natural and Satanic.  Both of these are mental.  Because of the sin nature, his or her being can't see the facts of the gospel for what they are.  Their perception can't find the facts as God designed them and they grope and grasp nothing.  Satan and demons are always available to place a mental blind preventing perception when the gospel is presented.  In a sense this blind makes them instant zombies in a mental Never Never Land concerning the facts of the gospel.  Paul teaches that all men are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1, 2, 5).  The rest of the list under C.  makes it clear that man has nothing in himself, including faith or works, that would even direct his attention to God. 

 

III. asks the question concerning how the Holy Spirit relates to unbelievers in the dispensation of grace.  2 Corinthians 5:19 makes it possible for the Holy Spirit to accomplish His work in the new dispensation toward the world of mankind.  Jesus Christ promised to send Another Comforter after He had departed.  His work toward the world of unsaved mankind would be to reprove {convince, convict} the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.  Verses 9, 10 specifically identifies what is involved in each of these three.  He convicts of the single sin "because they believed not in me" that is of not believing in Christ.  When the Spirit convicts a person of that sin, He does it through the facts of the gospel.  "Christ died for our sins" He was our Substitute.  It is through faith in Him that the person is saved.  He sees that he hasn't believed in Christ, his Substitute, and believes through the convincing of the Spirit.  Interestingly enough, when a person believes the gospel, he no longer is capable of committing that sin.  Christ's righteousness is affirmed by His resurrection which was followed by his ascension.  The Father accepted Him and His human body and nature in the third heaven – the first living human body to enter the third heaven.  The Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead that is resident on earth in this dispensation and who is the Restrainer of evil.  When He departs with the Church at the Rapture, evil will have freedom throughout the 70th Week of Daniel.

 

The first and foremost mechanism for removing all of the human incapabilities for believing is the gift of faith.  Paul taught this in at least three passages.  The Holy Spirit provides the faith as a gift for the person to believe the gospel (Philippians 1:29; 1 Corinthians 3:5; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:8, 9).  This directly relates to the convicting work of the Spirit whereby He convinces the mind of the person of his need for the work of Christ.  The person takes the gift of faith and believes the gospel and is saved.  At the specific point in time the Holy Spirit then brings about spiritual birth (after faith – Titus 3:5) and immerses the person into Christ (1 Cor. 12:12, 13).

 

The Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead that brings salvation to those who are saved in this dispensation.  Without Him, there is no salvation.  With Him, there is perfect salvation.

 

Favored with you in the Beloved,

DKS

 

#3 -- Gospel and Spiritual Growth

Valley -- December 3, 2000 p.m.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE GOSPEL

 

 

Proposition:  To demonstrate the importance of the working of the Holy Spirit in the presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation of the person who believes.

 

        Introduction

              A.   Man Cannot Save Himself in Any Way

              B.   Man Suffers the Results of the Fall that Have Left Him Spiritually Dead

              C.   There Are Specific Elements Necessary for One to Be Saved

              D.   The Holy Spirit Is Involved in the Salvation of a Person from the Very Beginning

 

TRANS:   Up front there is a power in the gospel of Jesus Christ itself.  Without it there can be no salvation.  By itself without divine intervention there can be no salvation.  But first let us look at the power in the gospel itself.

 

  I.   WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THE GOSPEL FOR SALVATION? -- THE INHERENT POWER OF THE GOSPEL AND ITS SINGULAR EFFECT ON HUMAN BEINGS -- THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GIVING OF THE GOSPEL ACCURATELY -- THE REVELATION OF THE FACTS NECESSARY TO BE SAVED

        A.  The Object of Faith Is Jesus Christ

        B.  The Agency of the Gospel Itself -- 1 Corinthians 15:2

              1.  By Which -- di v ou- (di ou) -- "by the agency of which"

              2.  You Are Saved -- Present Passive Indicative

        C.  The Mechanism of the Power of God = Gospel Concerning Christ -- Romans 1:16

              1.  Power Into Salvation

              2.  To Everyone Believing

 

TRANS:  What is there a need for the Holy Spirit to play a role in the giving of the gospel and the salvation of the human being who is ultimately saved? Can't man believe on his own and be saved with that human faith?

 

II.  WHY DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT NEED TO BE INVOLVED? -- THE INHERENT PROBLEM THAT PREVENTS A HUMAN BEING FROM PLUGGING INTO THE POWER -- THE ISOLATION OF FALLEN HUMAN BEINGS FROM THE CAPACITY TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL -- THE IMPOSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS ON HUMAN CAPABILITY TO BELIEVE

      A.  The Immediate Divine Cause of Salvation

            1.  In Overcoming the Impossible Condition of Man Preventing Belief/Faith

            2.  In Providing the Benefits of the Work of Christ to Man

                 a.  Brings Spiritual Birth = Regeneration

                 b.  Placing in Body of Christ = Spirit Baptism

      B.  The Impossible Consequences for Mankind

            1.     Without Divine Intervention No One Would Be Saved

            2.  Without Divine Intervention No One Can Be Saved

      C.  The Impossible Condition of Mankind

            1.  The Multiple Blindness on Human Beings

                 a.  Natural Blindness -- Ephesians 4:18

                 b.  Satanic Blindness -- 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4

                 c. Judicial Blindness for Israel -- Romans 11:7, 25; 2 Corinthians 3:14

            2.  All Men Are Born Spiritually Dead -- Ephesians 2:1, 2, 5; Romans 6:23; 1 Tim. 5:6

            3.  Man's Will Is Perverted -- John 8:44; Ephesians 2:2

            4.  Man's Mind Is Darkened -- Ephesians 4:18

            5.  Man's Powerlessness to Please God -- Romans 5:8

            6.  Man's Refusal to Seek God -- Romans 3:11, 12

            7.     Man's Active Animosity Against God -- Colossians 1:21; Romans 5:10

 

TRANS:  Without a certain amount of activity on the part of the Holy Spirit in the dispensation of the grace from the God, Christians would have little help here.  The world system would run rampant and unrestrained.  There are several ministries of the Holy Spirit to unbelievers mentioned in the New Testament.

 

III.  HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT RELATE TO UNBELIEVERS IN THE DISPENSATIONOF GRACE? -- THE IDENTIFIED PROGRAM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR UNSAVED PEOPLE -- THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TOWARD UNBELIEVERS -- THE RESTRICTION OF THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO UNBELIEVERS

        A.  Divine Provision in the Work of Christ Makes Possible -- 2 Corinthians 5:19

        B.   The Program for the Work of the Holy Spirit in the New Dispensation Toward the World of Unsaved Mankind -- John 16:7, 8

              1.  The Necessity of Christ's Departure -- Vs. 7

              2.  The Sending of the Comforter

              3.  The Reproving of the World -- Vs. 8

                   a.  Concerning Sin

                   b.  Concerning Righteousness

                   c.  Concerning Judgment

        C.  The Presentation of the Specifics for His Reproving Work Toward Unsaved Mankind -- John 16:9, 10

              1.  Of a Single Sin Because They Believe Not in Me

              2.  Of Righteousness Because I Go to My Father and You See Me No More

              3.  Of Judgment Because the Prince of This World Is Judged

        D.  The Prohibition of Uncontrolled Evil on the Earth -- 2 Thessalonians 2:6

 

TRANS:   The Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead that brings the person to salvation.  He is the active agent.  He initiates the process.  He is the Person that must overcome the barriers.  He removes the blinds that the person has so that he or she can see the gospel concerning Jesus Christ for the very first time.  He gives the gift of faith so that they can believe that which they have actually seen the first time.

 

 IV. THE INTIMATE PROVISION OF SALVATION BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD -- THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SALVATION BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD -- THE RESULTS ACCOMPLISHED IN THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

        A.  The Provision of the Gift of Faith

              1. 1 Corinthians 3:5

              2.  Philippians 1:29

              3.  Ephesians 2:8, 9

              4.  Galatians 3:22

        B.  The Provision of Spiritual Birth -- Titus 3:5

        C.  The Placing of the Person Into Christ -- 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13

 

TRANS:   Paul seems to assume that every believer understands what the gift of faith is and the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing a person to salvation.  He does not give the details by which this is accomplished but he accepts it to be true and a well-known fact among the early Christians.  One can't be certain that Paul was the first one to teach that the Spirit gives a gift for believing but he certainly taught the doctrine as true and from God.

 

      Conclusion

              A. 

              B. 

              C. 

              D. 

 

Ó by David K. Spurbeck

Valley Baptist Church

P. O. Box 99, Gaston, OR 97116