TALKING BACK TO GOD

Kasuku...Richard's African bird

 

 

TALKING BACK TO GOD 

November 14, 1965

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Romans 9: 19 - 21 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

In this chapter Paul has been showing that God has the right to do what He wants, but whatever He does, it is right, for remember, Hosea 14: 9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

The ways of the Lord are right. This is a big key as we consider this chapter. The Jews were upset. He was upset with Paul, because Paul has said, God has set aside the KINGDOM program, has postponed it for a season, and is now dealing with the Gentiles, taking out of them a people for His name. And Paul points out that God is righteous, He is just in what He is doing. He shows that the nation Israel deserves to be turned aside. They had not obeyed God, they had rejected His grace, and so God set them aside for a season, and is now dealing with the church, the Body of Christ.   

1/  Here in these verses that we read for you, we have men finding fault with God. It is man talking back to God. Here we have man criticizing God…what a foolish thing to do. But in every man, because of his sin nature, there is this tendency to find fault with the program of God. 

2/  If we go to the Book of Job, we find that Job finds fault with God. Job becomes very self-righteous, Job 29: 11 - 17 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

We have Job bragging and bragging. He said, when the ear heard me, it blessed me, when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me, He said, I delivered the poor, the fatherless, and he that hath none to help him. He said, I put on righteousness and it clothed me. 

He is really fond of himself. He said I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was father to the poor. Yes, Job certainly was self-righteous. But let us go to Job 38: 1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

God stop him and says to Job out of out of the whirlwind. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Who is this that darkeneth council with words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man—answer thou me. 

Job has been laying upon an ash mound in dumb misery, ever since he attempted to vindicate himself. So God says, Come Job, rouse yourself and give me your attention. Put your mind upon the questions I ask you, and answer me. And the Lord put Job in his right place as a creature before his creator. Where were you when God created earth? Were you there? Did you help me? Did I not make a pretty good job of it without you? And if I had asked you how to do it, would it have been a good job? 

So God says to Job—where were you when I created the earth? And He says to all who would find reason to criticize God, to talk back to God. Where were you when the earth was created, did you help? Could you have done a better job? Would God have done a better job if He had had you to help Him? Of course the answer is ”no”. 

Then look at Job 38: 12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place? 

In other words, did you help make the sun come up that first morning? Did you do that? No, Job, has to admit he didn’t have a thing to do with it.  

 

And God says, Was it good? And, of course, it has been good. And He puts us all in our place, He doesn’t need our help. And whatsoever God does, it is right. Creation shows that very clearly.

3/   But now it is important to see the answer from Job to Jehovah. 

Job 40: 4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

He says I am vile. He does not need to be told of his corruption, and then notice, Job 42: 3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

God’s ways are too wonderful. Job is amazed that he would ever dare raise a cry against the One Who is perfect and also did the right thing. Yes, we cannot always understand the ways of God, but we can know His ways are right.

4/  Let us just stop and think of God’s dealing with man. Even though God did what He wanted. Was it right? Of course. Take for instance, Adam and Eve. Was God arbitrary with Adam when sin first entered the human race? Did God very hastily bring heavy penalties upon Adam? Were Adam and Eve flung off into hell so God could begin with another creation? Of course not, He was full of love and compassion toward Adam and Eve. 

As I read the story in Genesis, one of the most touching lines in all of the Bible is the question that came from a loving voice of God after man had sinned. 

Genesis 3: 9  And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Adam, where art thou? God, of course, knew where Adam was, and He could have appeared before him in the brightness of His majesty, but instead, knowing the sin had brought fright to Adam, God sent on ahead His voice, given as it were, time for Adam to calm his fears. And then, notice, before any word of judgement was pronounced against the man, the loving God pronounced judgement against Satan and He comforted man by giving to him the first promise in the Bible. This always thrilles my heart as I read the story in Genesis, I say, yes, Hosea, the ways of God are right.

5/  Genesis 12: 1 - 3 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

The Lord said unto Abram, get thee out of the country and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house, into a land I will show thee. 

I wonder if you realize that when God spoke to Abraham He was bowing down to sticks and stones like all of the rest of the people around him. God didn’t have to call him, but He did. Then notice, when He called him He said, I will bless thee, in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 

Yes, I cry out, Hosea, you know what you are talking about. The ways of the Lord are right.

6/   Now let us turn to Romans 9: 25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

The subject here is God made certain promises in the Old Testament, and He has been bringing them to pass, and they come to pass just exactly as God said they would. The Jews said to Paul, God promised us, the Jews, everything, and now you are giving everything to the Gentiles. And Paul says, there is a reason for this. God also made certain plans in the Old Testament by which He is going to set the Jews aside and bring the Gentiles in. 

Paul refers to the Prophet Hosea – Hosea 2: 23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Now when Israel was God’s beloved, God said, I am going to bring in some folks and call them my beloved and they will not be Jews, they will not be Israel. And God has done just that. We have seen how the time came when God let the Jews be scattered over the face of the earth, and God has another people, another, beloved. 

Now go to Ephesians 3: 1 - 5 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 

Notice this, For this cause I Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given to me to you-ward. God has a dispensation of grace, and is sending it through Paul to the Gentiles. He did just what He said He would do in the Book of Hosea. I will call a people that are not my people, I will make them My people, I will call a people that were not beloved, and I will make them beloved. 

All that God said in the Old Testament was that He would make a people that were not His people, and make them His people, and He would make them beloved. He didn’t say how He would do it, He didn’t say who these people would be. He didn’t give an outline of the church at all. He said nothing about that. It was all in the mind of God. This is the mystery.

7/   Notice, Romans 9: 27  Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel. The number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. 

I think this very definitely that you could put the word, only, in there. That is what He means. Of all the children of Israel, only a remnant shall be saved. That is a very sad thing for Israel, very, very sad thing. We have not seen the full persecution of the Jew yet. The time is coming in the tribulation period when the Jews will persecuted down to a remnant…so sad.

AMEN

Ref: 11/14/1965 / 306 - TALKING BACK TO GOD / 08/16/2020

THE LIMITING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

Photo taken by B Smith's from Patio

 23 - THE LIMITING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

July 14, 1963

Henry F. Kulp

 

 

I Thessalonians 5: 16 - 23 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now as Paul closes this wonderful epistle, he first of all, wants us to watch our testimony towards Christians leaders, verses 12,13 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

Then he gives us our testimony to Christian brethren, verses 14,15 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Then in verses 16, 23 he gives us our testimony toward God. 

Last week we talked about rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in everything give thanks. 

This week we want to start with verse 19 Quench not the Holy Spirit. 

Of course, the question immediately comes back—who is the Holy Spirit? Of course, He is God. He is one of the persons of the Godhead. How often we hear Christians refer to the Holy Spirit as ”it”  but the personal pronoun, He, is what we should use. He is a Person, just as much a person as God the Son, or God the Father. Yet I am amazed that we hear believers giving praise to God for the gift of the Son but rarely do we hear the child of God praising God for the gift of the Spirit.  

1/  Now let us notice the Holy Spirit is omnipresent. This is one of the attributes of the members of the God-head. 

Psalms 139: 7, 8 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

Here David said, whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, and where shall I flee from Thy Presence? If I ascend up into Heaven, Thou art there. If I make My bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. And I want you to see that the words, Thy presence, the Spirit is spoken of as God, and yet also is one of the divine attributes, Omnipresence, and is attributed to the Holy Spirit. 

2/  Now notice, David said, It is impossible to find a place where the presence of God is not felt, that is God the Holy Spirit, for if he ascends up into Heaven, He is there, and even a skeptic is ready to agree that God dwells in the heavens, but then he said, if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. And here even in death there is no escaping God. This is the other side of the grave—some men commit suicide believing that they can thus get away from a disturbed mind, and an over-worked conscience. But what an awakening they will have when they discover that after death God is everywhere, making their bed in the other world, does not relieve their mind nor their conscience as far as guilt is concerned.  

3/  The thing I want you to see is you cannot flee from God the Holy Spirit, Who is a person. You can never get away from him.

4/  But in the New Testament, we have many passages that clearly set forth the personality of Deity of the Holy Spirit. When Ananias and Sapphira sold a possession, and kept back part of the price. Paul said, Ananias, why has Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? Thou has not lied unto man, but unto God. 

Acts 5: 1 - 4 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

We can clearly see that the Holy Spirit is called God. Men cannot deceive or lie to a mere influence. But Ananias had lied to none other than God the Holy Spirit. 

5/  Hebrews 9: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Eternal Spirit, He is without beginning and He is without end, just the same as God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit.  He is the Eternal Spirit. 

6/  Now, I want you to see the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation, I Corinthians 12: 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

When you made a decision to receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, in conjunction with Romans 10: 9 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

It was not in your own strength, but by the Spirit’s power, for no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit. Any true confession of the Saviour-hood and Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, is possible only by the Spirit of God. He is the one that enables you to cry out, Lord Jesus, I want you as my Saviour. 

7/  Then notice, Romans 8: 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. In other words, you are not saved unless the Holy Spirit has taken up His abode within your heart.

8/  Not only does the Holy Spirit enable you to cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ, that you want Him in salvation, but the moment you do this you are sealed by Him. 

Ephesians 1: 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Believing and sealing are simultaneous. You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and your eternal salvation depends upon Him. 

9/  I Corinthians 3: 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Paul tells us, Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. This means more than the Spirit’s incoming. It indicates a residence a permanent residence. He stays within your body.

10/  Then also, the Holy Spirit helps your praying. 

Romans 8: 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

It is impossible for you to pray correctly unless you pray in the Holy Spirit.

11/  Romans 5: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Here where we read, the love of God is shed abroad in your hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us—If the love of God is operational in our life, it is by the Holy Spirit. Man is by nature, selfish. In each of us, even though we are still saved, there is an urge to advance our selfish interest, enlarge our own prestige, defend our own rights, promote our own prosperity. This strain of self-love runs in all of us. There is a branch of science that is called sociology, or rather the science of living together, and this is a foolish teaching for the simple reason that man can’t live together unless they have the Lord Jesus Christ, because all of us are dominated by our own interests, but when the Holy Spirit comes, he advances the interest of God, He sheds abroad in our hearts the love of God and we become interested in God and in others. 

12/  There is so much that is lacking in the hearts of men. Take the Russian Czars—they let over 4 million peasants starve in order to force millions more to submit to their rule, to their dominion. Then you take in Nazi Germany where millions of Jews were tortured and slain. Then take the Bataan death march—that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Japanese who were educated in our own American schools and colleges did not find the science of sociology sufficient to overwhelm or subdue their passion for power. This wonderful Holy Spirit sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts and makes the truth of sociology a reality.

13/  Our Scripture says, quench not. And we have over in Ephesians 4: 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Grieve not. What does this mean? This wonderful one, the Holy Spirit that indwells our bodies—how do we grieve Him, how do we quench Him? 

First of all, it is necessary for us to see, Romans 12: 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

God says we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Now remember, our bodies are the dwelling place, the sanctuary, of the Holy Spirit. And the word, present, contains the idea of sacrifice. And it is used in connection with the offering of Jewish sacrifices in the Old Testament. When a Jew would bring his lamb, or his bullock to the tabernacle, he would present it to the priest to be offered to God. This sacrificial offering, after having passed a very close and rigid inspection, would be presented to God at the altar, so that God could say in Exodus 29: 37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

Whatsoever touches the altar shall be holy. 

But now God says, in contrast to these dead sacrifices that Israel offered that they and their children turn their bodies over to Him, to present themselves upon an altar, a living sacrifice. And how does one do this? It is very clear in the Word of God.

14/  However, before we go on and study this, it is necessary to realize that the worldly individual has to cater to the body. The world advertises the body today more than it has ever done. The human body, especially the feminine body is exposed, exploited, it is appealed to on billboards, magazines, and newspapers. The body has been subjected to a slow, but sure suicide. Poisoned by alcohol, nicotine, and abused by wrong eating, improper rest, and not the correct exercise.

15/  But God says we are to present our bodies to Him, How? By being subjected to the Holy Spirit. How is this possible? BY TWO AVENUES, AS I SEE IT THIS MORNING. 

16/  The first avenue in Ephesians 5: 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 

As we have told you in days gone by, to fill, is a passive verb, it is followed by the dative, it means action. And it indicates that the Holy Spirit is a Filler, not the one who is used to be filled with. If it was a passive verb, followed by the genitive case, which is possessive, it would indicate with what the vessel was filled, and it would be the Holy Spirit, but God is not telling us to fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit, but rather to let the Holy Spirit fill us with something. What is that? 

Colossians 3: 16, 17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

It is the Word of God. If you refuse to study the word under the direction and the power of the Holy Spirit, you are quenching the Holy Spirit. He can’t work in your life, for He only works through the Word of God. It is necessary that you study the Word. The Holy Spirit can’t work in your heart unless it is through the Word.     

17/  The second thing is you can study the Word under the power of the Holy Spirit, and then quench Him by saying, “No”, I’ll not obey what the Word tells me to do. And this is a very common sin in the lives of believers. Let us go back and get an illustration of what it means to say, “No” to the Holy Spirit when He has revealed truths from our Bible. 

Ephesians 5: 19, 20 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Here, first of all, we are to be singing Christians. If we are sad, and despondent and out of sorts, not singing and making melody in your hearts, you are quenching the Holy Spirit.  

18/  Ephesians 5: 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Then if we fail to give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, we are just disobeying Him. And so it goes. We know that we should do these things, but if we do not do them, then we are quenching the Spirit. We are saying, “No” to Him.

19/  Ephesians 4: 29, 30 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

First of all, notice the 30^th verse. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. 

The word, grieve, here carries with it the idea of causing pain. Believers are forbidden to do or say anything that will cause the Holy Spirit of God to become grieved, to have pain, and I want you to notice, what will give grief or pain to the Holy Spirit. In the 29^th verse Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. It is with your mouth that it is so easy to grieve or give pain to the Holy Spirit. 

20/  The Old Testament word for grieve, is vex, and it appears only once, but they rebelled, and vexed or grieved His Holy Spirit. 

Isaiah 63: 10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

Then we read, therefore he was turned to be their enemy and he fought against them. In the verse preceding this, the prophet Isaiah presents us with a most graphic view of God’s love for the nation Israel, in all their affliction, He was afflicted. 

Isaiah 63: 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

But then the day came when the compassion, and forebearance, and the mercy of God was exhausted.

Isaiah 63: 11 - 15 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? 

Believe me, He didn’t cease to love them, but they themselves had limited Him by grieving His Spirit, and instead of using their voices to praise God, they murmured, they complained, until they so vexed the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God that He was compelled to fill their lives with hardship in order to break their rebellious and complaining Spirits. 

I believe this is exactly what happens today. When we grieve the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has to lay tasks upon us, hardships upon us, so that our rebellious hearts will be broken.

21/  Now the word, quench, and that verse should be translated, the Spirit, do not extinguish—in other words quench the Holy fire that He kindles in our hearts, and I believe Holy Spirit here  produces enthusiasm and fervor for the things of God. I have seen many get saved and have a real enthusiasm, real fervor for the things of God, and then slowly that is lost. Oh, they don’t lose their salvation, they don’t get deep into sin, but they lose that enthusiasm, that fervor that they once had, they don’t have that fire, that the Holy Spirit gives.

22/  I believe with all my heart, soul, and mind, that God wants us to be on fire for Him. 

Philippians 2: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

So it is necessary that you look into your life and see whether you have quenched the Holy Spirit, whether you have grieved the Holy Spirit.

He loves you with an Everlasting Love.

AMEN

Ref: 07/14/1963 / 23 - THE LIMITING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT / 08/20/2020

HOW TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Photo taken from B Smith's Patio

    223 – HOW TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

     September 11, 1960

     Henry F. Kulp

 

Ephesians 5: 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

We have come to a very, very important portion of Scripture that every believer should understand. In this day of confusion, so many  ideas are put forth about the filling of the Holy Spirit that one should be completely grounded in this truth, understand what God means.

1/  First of all, as we brought out to you last week, it is necessary to see why we need to be filled with the Spirit. Man as we told you, is made up of body, soul and spirit, and body soul and spirit are completely corrupt, totally depraved. The spirit is that which should make us God-conscious, but instead of man being controlled by the spirit, because of sin, he is controlled by the soul, and man is a soulish being, and there is no hope that the spirit of man can be changed and be made conscious of God. So God gives us a new spirit, His Spirit, The Holy Spirit, the third person of the God-Head, to indwell our bodies and direct us and fill us.

2/  Now, remember that man is a religious being. He tries to make himself right in the sight of God, but his spirit is so corrupt, he can’t understand God, but he permits another to control him and lead him in his religion. 

Ephesians 2: 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Here it says, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. This is the spirit of Satan, or his demons. They control men because their spirit is depraved and they permit the spirit of Satan to come in and control them and lead them and make them religious beings without the true knowledge of God.

3/  The next important thing to see is, even after we are saved and have a new nature, the old nature is still corrupt, the person is still soulish unless he permits the Holy Spirit to fill him and control him. Let’s just get proof of what I am saying here. 

Romans 8: 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Here we are told that we do not know how to pray, even after we are saved, we do not know how to pray. The old nature does not know how to pray, and to show you how utterly dependent we are upon this new nature, the Holy Spirit that indwells us, He has to do our praying for us, and for Him to do that, He has to fill us, or control us.

4/  Now the next point in our study is to see that God has two entirely different programs worked out for mankind under the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not react the same with mankind in every dispensation.

5/  There is one program of the filling of the Holy Spirit that is not for today. There is a day coming when God will fill men with the Holy Spirit and cause them to do His bidding. Man will have to do His bidding—the Holy Spirit will make him, and the Holy Spirit fills man in that day, he will have no choice, but that is not true today—the filling of the Holy Spirit is not that today that automatically makes us do the will of God. We are not filled completely with the Holy Spirit for all time here on earth. 

6/  Joel 2: 28, 29 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Here God says he will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophecy, and your old men shall see visions. That is certainly not talking about the day and the hour in which we are living. This has to do with the Kingdom, not with the church which is in operation today. We do not pray for the pouring out of the Spirit—that is incorrect. We do not pray today—“Lord, pour out Thy Spirit upon us.”  Everyone who is saved is indwelt by the Holy  Spirit, and he has as much of the Holy Spirit as he is ever going to get. It is a matter of how much the Holy Spirit gets of the individual. 

7/  Then, in this coming day, the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all men. He hasn’t been poured upon all men today, but in that day He will.

8/  What will be the result when He is poured out upon men? 

Ezekiel 36: 26, 27 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Here God promises to give them a new spirit. When He pours out His Sprit upon all men, they will have to do His will. They will be caused supernaturally to do His will. Notice, He says I will give you a new heart and a new Spirit, and my Spirit will cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye will keep my judgments and do them. 

I realize this is new to many folks, but it is entirely in accord with the teaching of the Word of God. Today God does not fill us with His Spirit and make us to do His bidding, but in the coming day of His Kingdom, His Spirit will be poured out on all flesh, and men will automatically do His will.

5/  Let us get more proof that the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon men and men will be made to do God’s will. We want more Scripture then just Ezekiel 36. 

Let us go back to Psalms 22: 27, 28 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.

And here God tells us all the ends of the world, and that means the ends of earth, because that is a common figure of speech in the Old Testament for all the people living upon the earth. The ends of the earth, means those living in the most remote places of the earth, and of course, includes all in between—so it takes in everyone, everywhere. 

6/  And everyone, everywhere shall remember and turn to the Lord. The word, remember, is not the usual word, remember, that we think of, for our word, remember, means to bring back to mind, something already known before, or to hold in mind, something already known. Here it does not mean that—here it means to imprint. It is not that man can recall something that God has done for him, but rather, God will imprint something upon the mind of man. 

7/  Then the word, turn, could be better translated, shall be turned. This is not a matter that man in his own human effort will turn, but rather that man shall be turned. God shall imprint something upon the mind of man, and turn him about and he will do God’s will, and all this shall come about through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the filling of the Holy Spirit in man, and causing him supernaturally to do the will of God. 

8/  All of this, of course, will be after the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.

9/  Psalms 25: 8 Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

Here it says, Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will He teach sinners in the way. That word, teach, is important. We are apt to read into this word something that is not here. When we think of teaching, we think of continuous process, but in the Hebrew word it does not mean this. This word could be better translated, suit, or cast. So it means that God will suit information, or cast information into the mind of man, and cause him – in other words, to be in the way. Again, supernaturally. God through the Holy Spirit will cause man to do His will.

10/  Psalms 67: 7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Psalms tells us the ultimate end of this program. God shall bless—this is the work of God—and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. Again the ends of the earth literally means all men everywhere. Men in his own nature does not fear God. Even men who are saved today and indwelt by God do not fear God. God has to constantly remind us today that we are to fear Him. Many believers do not fear God in our day, but here everybody, everywhere will be caused to fear God because the Holy Spirit will bring that fear into the heart where man will have the right attitude toward God, a holy righteous, God.

11/  So you can see the whole program is completely different from today. God does not send the Holy Spirit upon us today, to make us over and cause us to be what we should be. He gives us the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit takes up His abode in our bodies, and if we permit the Holy Spirit, He can fill and control us and guide us, and correct us, but the moment we do not meet the requirements that God sets up, that very moment the Holy Spirit is no longer filling us, and rather we are filled with the flesh and we walk in the flesh. 

12/  The next thing in our study to see, is that did not happen on the day of Pentecost, We do not have a repetition of Pentecost today. It is truly impossible in our day. This has to do with the Kingdom. 

Acts 2: 16, 17 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Here where Peter says, this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass saith God, In the last days, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. This was the beginning of that program, the program depended upon Israel receiving Christ as their Messiah, and then the Kingdom would come, but at the start of that program, we notice, instead of all flesh, all those who were part of that early group were filled with the Spirit.

Acts 2: 1 - 4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The filling of the Holy Spirit there on the day of Pentecost is not the same as the filling of the Holy Spirit in our present day and age.

13/  For I want you to notice the immediate change that took place in the behavior of those believers. He came and took possession of them, not only did they speak with tongues and prophecy, and work miracles, but they all began living one for another. 

Acts 2: 44, 45  And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Acts 4: 32 – 34, 35 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Notice it says, they were of one heart and soul. It says the multitude of them that believed were this way. Never before had the disciples of Christ even approached such a spirit of love one for another. The twelve had never had anything like this in their past experience.

14/  And then you can go on a little while later in the Book of Acts and you find Paul and Barnabas did not have this attitude, did they? No, the program was changing even then.

Acts 15: 39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other. What a difference from the day of Pentecost and the days right after Pentecost. If you think that you should have a re-enacting of the day of Pentecost and the season right after it, then it is going to be necessary for you to share every thing and to live one for another, and not have any problems. But I am positive that it would be wrong to even attempt this today. God has not instructed us to act like that in this day.

15/  Then, again, we can see the difference in the program when we recognize at Pentecost the Lord Jesus Christ was the Baptizer, not the Holy Spirit.

And here we read, He, meaning Christ, will baptize you with (or in) the Holy Spirit  

John 15: 26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 

John 16: 7 If I depart I will send Him unto you. 

But under this present dispensation, Jesus Christ does not baptize us in the Holy Spirit, but rather we are baptized into Christ, into His body. 

Galatians 3: 27, 28 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

This is an entirely different program. This is not the day of signs, miracles and wonders. This is not the day of the Holy Spirit taking charge of us automatically and supernaturally causing us to do his will. Rather, it is a day when we are baptized into Christ, given a new Spirit, the Holy Spirit to indwell our bodies, and He leads us as we permit Him.

16/  So, today, it is a moment by moment filling as we yield to the Holy Spirit. If we do not yield to Him, then we find we are not led by him, and we do not have the filling. If we could only see this truth and permit God to work in and through us. That we are not to expect the things that happened in the past and will happen again after the Rapture of the Church, His Body. We are not to expect a great emotional experience, but rather quietly obeying His Word.

AMEN

Ref: 09/11/1960 / 223 HOW TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / 08/09/2020