259 - HOW TO SERVE THE LORDOctober 13, 1963
Henry F. Kulp
Romans 1: 8, 9 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
Last weeks we told you about the personality of Paul. We believe from the study of the Word of God that Paul was a cold man outwardly. He was warm inwardly and filled with love, but he had a hard time expressing it, and he was the type that was dogmatic and positive. He wasn’t liked by many people and I believe that God picked this type of man with a very specific reason in mind. It wasn’t Paul who was to be exalted. Paul was not the type that people took to naturally and loved and considered important and flocked about him. Paul was the type that repelled people rather than attracted people. But God chose this type of man because he didn’t want the man to be outstanding, He wanted his office to be outstanding. That is why in Romans 11: 13 Paul says, For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
I magnify my office. Not the man, Paul, but the position God called him to.
1/ This church was known for its faith and a church should be known by its faith. Then, thirdly Paul said, I serve the Lord in my spirit. Now, what did we mean by this statement? Too few people really understand God’s teaching concerning man and salvation and what God does for man.
2/ True service to God must be in the spirit, and in this case it does not mean the Holy Spirit, but in the renewed spirit of the individual. There is a great deal of difference between the two because we read in Romans 8: 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Notice this, this is the Holy Spirit that bears witness with the spirit of the individual. This proves that the human spirit is quite different from the Holy Spirit.
3/ Perhaps the best way to get the meaning of what I am trying to teach you and what the Word of God teaches is to describe the general make-up of God’s being. Man is made up of body, soul and spirit. The body is world consciousness and through its five senses we are aware of all that is around us, and the soul is a self-consciousness, and the Spirit is God consciousness. But now, to better understand this, let’s go back to Adam and Eve before they sinned and after they sinned.
4/ Adam and Eve had bodies, which were created by God. They, themselves, are said to be souls, and they received spirits from the Creator. The body had five senses, and through these senses they had consciousness of the world around about them. They could see, hear, taste, touch and smell, and from all these different senses, man is able to tell about the world around him. Adam’s soul and spirit were in an unfallen state. We said the soul is self-consciousness and the spirit is God-consciousness. Adam’s spirit had a true consciousness of God without error. Adam’s soul was his ego, his self, and that he understood in a proper sense. But then Adam sinned and sin entered into the human race. But before he sinned, Adam’s soul was yielded to the spirit. In other words the spirit dominated the soul and the body, but when he sinned all this was destroyed. Before he sinned Adam was able to communicate with the Holy Spirit directly through his human spirit. But when the will of Adam turned and refused to permit the spirit to control the soul, then the great catastrophe took place.
5/ And man became soulish, rather than spiritual, and in the fallen state it is impossible to distinguish between soul and spirit. But after a person is saved, only then is the soul and spirited separated again. Let us understand that. Man is called in his unsaved state a natural man. What does this mean? It is unfortunate for our English language, we do not have an adjective for this word, soul. For body we have an adjective—it is the word, bodily. For the word, spirit we have an adjective, it is the word, spiritual. But for the word, soul, there is no corresponding adjective, and we really need one. In the Greek we have just such an adjective, and it is the word, natural—and it should be the word, soulish—the natural man is the soulish man. His soul controls him.
6/ In the unsaved man, the spirit that should know God and be obedient to him is fallen and rebellious. The mind is part of the spirit, and this is clearly shown in Romans 8: 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
I Corinthians 2: 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
But the mind is distorted and the spirit is distorted, it no longer has any relationship with God—it is at enmity with God.
Putting these two verses together, we realize that the mind is part of the spirit, and that the spirit and the mind are distorted, they know nothing about God. And then the soul becomes so self-centered and it controls this wrecked spirit so that all man can think about is self. When he thinks about God how does he think about God? He thinks about God in the way of philosophy, which is man trying to think his way to God with a distorted mind.
7/ I Corinthians 2: 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Here it says that natural man—in other words, the soulish man, receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.
How does God rectify this? When we are saved a miraculous transformation takes place. God puts into man’s being a new spirit. Not just the Holy Spirit, but a new spirit. Now when a person becomes a Christian God does not use anything that was in the old nature, because it is corrupt, and He puts this new spirit within man when he is saved, a spirit that can communicate with the Holy Spirit and understand the things of God.
With this in mind, let us look at Galatians 2: 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Paul says, I, that is the ego, the soul, am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I that is the new personality, the new spirit, the new human spirit, dominated by Christ, live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
8/ At death, the old body, the wreckage is put into the grave, and the old soul and the spirit are lost to us forever, they are put aside, they are gone.
Than, we read in I Corinthians 15: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
The old body is sown a natural, that is a soulish, it is raised a spiritual body. We must never think of this spiritual body as something that can’t be seen—just spiritual. It doesn’t mean that at all. But it is still a material tangible body, like unto the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, but this body will now be spiritual, for it will be dominated by the spirit, not the soul as it is at the present time.
9/ If one wants to serve God, he naturally serves Him through the Holy Spirit, but he serves Him through that new human spirit that God gives to the believer as it is in control of the Holy Spirit, but yet this old soul doesn’t want to remain dead, it raises out of the grave and tries to overcome this new human spirit that is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, and than we become a natural man, a soulish man, rather than a spiritual man.
10/ We can see so much of this in the Apostle Peter. I would like to look into the Bible, and just study him for a few moments, and I want to show you three instances of Peter and how he acted. His course of life.
First of all Peter was an effervescent man. Today, I believe we would call him an extrovert. He was always the first to talk on any occasion, and I am sure the disciples themselves must have learned to discount much that Peter said. He was just a big-mouthed fisherman. He talked first and thought afterward. And quite often it was the human spirit speaking through Peter—the soulish controlled by the soul.
Let us turn to John 13: 4 - 9 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Here we have the lesson of feet washing. It was the Lord Jesus Christ Who went to wash the feet of Peter, and Peter said, Thou shall never wash my feet. This was the soulish nature talking through him. This was Peter thinking that he knew more than his Lord. It was than that the Lord said, If I wash thee not, thou hath no part of me, Peter again with his big mouth, his soulish nature, spoke up and said, Not my feet only lord, but my hands and my head. In other words, wash me all over. This was the corrupt human spirit speaking in Peter. Rejecting the teaching that God had for him.
11/ Matthew 16: 21 - 23 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
When the Lord Jesus Christ, for the first time announced that He was to go to the cross of Calvary and die, Peter thought his chance had come to tell the Lord that this action was far from what it should be for Him. So he told the Lord, No, this is not going to be -- you are not going to die, and the Lord turned to him and said, Get thee behind me, Satan.
Here we have the same human lips, the same human soulish nature, speaking, but this time through the devil, For the Lord turned to him and said, Satan, get thee behind me. This should cause us to pause and consider our speech carefully. It should make us see that we don’t always serve the Lord in the true spirit that God has given us, but rather we serve Him in the spirit that is dominated by the soul, and the devil controls it.
12/ Matthew 16: 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Then we remember the time when the Lord asked the disciples concerning public opinion about Himself. And when He asked them, Whom do you say that I am? It was Simon Peter who answered—Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus Christ immediately said something that was so important. He pointed out that Peter had not thought that up himself, and Jesus Christ said to him, Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, Peter, but my Father, which is in Heaven. In other words, because Peter was saved and had this new spirit, the Holy Spirit was able to witness to the human spirit, and say this was the Christ, the Messiah. This was not the soulish spirit under the direction of the devil speaking, but now the new spirit under the direction of the Holy Spirit saying, Thou art the Christ, thou art the Messiah, the Son of God.
And so we see, three avenues of service in Peter, just his plain old soulish nature, dominated by self, and then we have the devil using the old nature, and finally we have the new nature being used by the Holy Spirit.
13/ Now when we study our Bible, many times we see the word, spirit, with a small letter, and this is because it is distinguished from the Holy Spirit, even though it is the spirit born of God.
Notice John 3: 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
That which is born of the Spirit, notice it is the capital letter—is spirit, the lower case letter. So we see that Paul served God with this new spirit, not with his soulish nature.
14/ Notice, Verse 11 For I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end ye may be established.
Now, Paul of course had some new truth to impart to these people, and he wanted to go to them and preach to them that they might be establish There is only one way to be established in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is through the Word of God, no other way.
15/ Then notice Verse 12 That is that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
Paul was a busy man, as today most pastors are who teach the word. We don’t get much chance to hear others preach the Word. We don’t get much chance to hear others preach the Word of God, we have too much to do. It would be nice to be able to sit down, go to another meeting, and listen to someone else preach, but there is so many claims upon our time that it is almost impossible. How do we get spiritual refreshment?
I want you to notice something that happened in the life of Paul that has happened in my life many, many times. Paul says I want to come to you to impart some truth to you, that I may be comforted together with you.
You know a preacher can be comforted, he can be strengthened by the people he preaches to. First of all, when you are a preacher, you notice what is going on in the congregation. You notice folks who seem disinterested, folks are asleep, folks who are angry, but then you notice some folks who sit down there and they seemingly are drinking it all in. Just the expression on their face, the light in their eyes, their whole countenance says, here is something that I love and it is precious to me. And these folks are a real strengthening, comforting experience for a pastor—someone who imparts the Word.
16/ Also there can be times that you can be speaking to someone about the Gospel, and all of a sudden they realize the truth and what a refreshing thing that is. I can remember we were sitting on the church steps one time, another church that I was pastoring, and I was sitting there talking to about three men who were coming to the church. Two of them were saved and the one was not. The two men had been testifying to this other man about how to be saved, and this man had been a member of this church for many years. So I opened my Bible and I explained ever so carefully from the Word of God, God’s plan of salvation, Not of works, but faith in a Christ who had done the work of salvation, and all of a sudden this man leaped from the step and he turned to me with his eyes burning and he said, “Pastor, I now see, I now understand. Of course, I am saved by trusting Christ and I know it.” And then he took both of my hands in his and said, “Praise God for this truth.” What a comfort that was to my heart, what a time of refreshment that was.
17/ As you read this Scripture there are other things that are so important. Paul talks about our mutual faith. Paul isn’t the type who would put himself above other people. Can you imagine this man who talks about a mutual faith, allowing anyone to bow before him or to confess before him allowing anyone to kiss his hand? Paul said he needed blessing from the people by their mutual faith. Yes Paul was a man who was blessed by others about him, he did not put himself above others.
Romans 12: 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
AMEN
Ref: 10/13/1963 / 259 - HOW TO SERVE THE LORD / 02/03/2021
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