John 16: 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
There are some truths pertaining to the work of The Holy Spirit in your hearts, which might need some scriptural clarification. In the above passages, Jesus breaks down in precis form some of the work which is done in the hearts and minds of persons, by God, through His Holy Spirit.
He is the One who accomplishes the work of saving and regenerating us and working in and through the ones who permit Him. Speaking in tongues, where it is necessary, healing the sick, where it is God’s will, and every other aspect of the Christian’s growth and development is done by the Holy Ghost.
It is true, that in the context, Jesus was speaking to His inner circle of disciples, but the work mentioned there pertains to all who will take up the mantle of discipleship, whoever, and wherever they may be. In other words, all who are willing would be guided in to all truth.
And all who choose to stay the course with Christ no matter what, would absolutely be brought from one stage of development to another, not by might, nor by power, but by The Holy Spirit working upon your heart. This is why we stress the grave importance of staying with Jesus all the way. Let’s read:
Romans 8: 26 Likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And He that searches the hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Every one of the disciples, who stayed the course with Christ, were brought to maturity, for even the doubting Thomas, and the impulsive Peter, and the sons of Zebedee who were prone to violence anger and revenge, were all thoroughly converted by The Spirit of God working in their hearts, and thus were brought to maturity.
This is the reason why we have encouraged you to stay the course with Christ, no matter what might come your way, for all those who stay will be made partakers of the mature Christlike character, in the fulness of time.
Some will be severely tempted to let go their hold on Jesus because of deep seated flaws in their lives but, if we hang in there, God who has promised us to finish the work He has started in our hearts, will bring it to completion if we were to stay the course with Him.
The Christian race is never about speed, it is about endurance, and thus, all who “Endure” to the end will be saved. Let’s read:
John 17: 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
[The Desire of Ages pp 295] All of the disciples had serious faults when Jesus called them to His service. Even John, who came into closest association with the meek and lowly One, was not himself naturally meek and yielding.
He and his brother were called the sons of thunder. While they were with Jesus, any slight shown to Him aroused their indignation and combativeness. Evil temper, revenge, the spirit of criticism, were all in the beloved disciple. He was proud, and ambitious to be first in the kingdom of God.
But day by day in contrast with his own violent spirit he beheld the tenderness and forbearance of Jesus, and heard His lessons of humility and patience.
He opened his heart to the divine influence and he became not only a hearer, but a doer of the Savior’s words. Self was hid in Christ. He learned to wear the yoke of Christ and to bear His burden.
[D.A. pp 296] There was the publican, Levi-Matthew, the fiery zealot Simon, the uncompromising hater of the authority of Rome; and the generous impulsive Peter, and the mean-spirited Judas.
Thomas, truehearted, yet timid and fearful, Philip, slow of heart, and inclined to doubt, and the ambitious, outspoken sons of Zebedee, with their brethren. These were brought together, with their different faults, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil.
But in and through Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learning to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit. Christ is the great center, and they would approach one another just in proportion as they approached the center.
Jesus reproved His disciples, He warned, and He cautioned them; but John and his brethren did not leave Him; they chose Jesus, notwithstanding the reproofs. The Savior did not withdraw from them because of their weakness and errors.
They continued to the end to share His trials and to learn the lessons of His life. By beholding Christ, they became transformed in character.
However, there are somethings The Holy Spirit does not do in our hearts, and these must be made clear so as to manage our expectations prudently. These things would be laid out in a clear concise format so that we could harbor a balanced view of The Holy Spirit’s work in the heart.
[1] The Holy Spirit is given in accordance with one’s desire and consent, but never to force His will upon you against, your freedom of choice. Let’s read:
Joshua 24: 15 And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
[C.O.L pp 411] The Spirit works upon man’s heart, according to his desire and consent implanting in him a new nature.
There is a saying that goes like this: Lord, why don’t you stop me, when you see me doing stupid things? The truth of the matter is that if we are sincere, He will alert us to our dangers, but He will never force us to do right. He did not stop Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit.
He could have snatched it out of their hands before taking that fateful bite, but no, The Lord is not in the business of preventing any person from doing what they decide, or choose to do. We were created free moral agents, to choose to do right or wrong. Thus, we are the arbiters of our own destiny.
Even though you have a portion of the Holy Spirit, when we are finished with Bible study this evening, you can go to Red Lobster and eat your fill of shrimp and Oysters, contrary to what you know is right. We do not advise, or recommend doing so, but if you so choose, The Holy Ghost would not stand at the door with a flaming sword, to prevent you.
The Holy Spirit sets before our minds the good and the bad with consequences, and then He prompts us to choose good over evil. But He does not force His way through the door of our choices. Behold I stand at the door and knock, means that you and I must consent.
There are times when He may go before us to keep us from falling, but He does not keep us against our will. We must have a desire to be kept, and if that is the case, then God has our prior permission to take whatever preemptive action He deems necessary.
In extremely rare cases that can possibly be counted on one hand, Christ used force, because the good of His people was in Jeopardy, such as when stubborn Balaam insisted on cursing the Hebrews. That is, by far the exception because forcing the will is contrary to the foundational principles of love.
The flipside of this perspective is that if God were to use force to coerce your will and choices, He would be directly responsible for any failures on your part, because He didn’t prevent you. The Holy Ghost sets before us good and evil, but does not prevent us, if we insist on doing wrong.
He didn’t stop Jacob when he and his mom made an adult decision to deceive Isaac, He did not prevent Peter from using a barrage of choice words, God did not prevent David from doing the unthinkable, and The Spirit is not given to stop any person from doing what they have firmly decided to do.
[2] The Holy Spirit in your heart does not prevent a person from sinning, if they so choose. This is the reason why some become perplexed at the fact that holy men at times did some very gross things in the Bible.
It’s not that they didn’t have a portion of The Holy Spirit, they did, but He does not prevent folks from exercising their freedom of choice at any given time. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 30: 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you, life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
[3] We are free moral agents, and even though God is the One who accomplishes cleansing and maturity in our hearts, He does not do so, if persons do not give Him the go ahead to do so. Let’s read:
Philippians 2: 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
[4] A portion of The Holy Spirit is given to all people, whether they are holy, or wicked. Some might have concluded that only Christians receive of The Holy Spirit, but this is not the case by any means.
This point should be understood by all, especially in the context of the work Jesus stated that The Spirit will do. He is to guide in to all truth.
This does not necessarily mean that every person who is guided into all truth will choose to remain in the truth. As stated before, your freedom of choice remains intact at every stage of your development, or stagnation, or retrogression, as the case may be.
Let the word of God confirm this particular point, as He gives to us several examples before we proceed.
[1] Every single one of the Hebrews back then was given a portion of The Holy Ghost. It was not only Moses, Aaron, and the elders. Let’s read:
Nehemiah 9: 20 Thou gave also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheld not thy manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
1st Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
[2] King Saul was also given a portion of The Holy Spirit. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 10: 6 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with you.
9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him before saw that he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, what is this that is happened unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
[3] Every person who is born upon planet earth is also given a portion of The Holy Spirit. Let’s read:
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
9 That was the true Light, who lights every man that comes into the world.
Genesis 6: 3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
Joel 2: 28 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:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
Hebrews 6: 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
[4] There is a massive difference between having a portion of the Holy Ghost, and being filled with the Holy Ghost, a huge difference, but even then, the rules of engagement remain the same. The freedom of choice remains intact, and The Spirit only works according to your desire and consent.
This means literally that any person who was filled with the Holy Ghost can sin, if they so choose to do. They should not, because it is quite dangerous, but they could, if they choose to do so. The Holy Spirit doesn’t inhibit persons from committing sin against their will, whether they are filled, or whether they have just a portion.
The sealing work you read of in Revelation 7 is not a work of prevention by The Holy Spirit, it is a work of confirmation, meaning that your choices for Christ, which you have made for your entire life, are sealed for eternity, for if you were to stay the course with the Holy Spirit, there would come a time when the real you, is Christ formed within.
However, your freedom of choice remains entirely intact, at every stage of the Holy Ghost you receive, whether it is an initial portion, a small portion, a big portion, or the fully loaded stage. Let’s read:
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 4: 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
32 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.
34 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,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 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.
3 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?
[Acts of The Apostles pp 71] In sharp contrast to the example of benevolence shown by the believers, was the conduct of Ananias and Sapphira, whose experience, traced by the pen of Inspiration, has left a dark stain upon the history of the early church.
They had been present with other believers when, after the apostles had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.”
Deep conviction had rested upon all present, and under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, Ananias and Sapphira had made a pledge to give to the Lord the proceeds from the sale of certain property.
Afterward, Ananias and Sapphira grieved the Holy Spirit by yielding to feelings of covetousness. They began to regret their promise and soon lost the sweet influence of the blessing that had warmed their hearts with a desire to do large things in behalf of the cause of Christ.
They thought they had been too hasty, that they ought to reconsider their decision. They talked the matter over, and decided not to fulfill their pledge.
This leads us to the main course of the study, which deals with the parable of the ten virgins who, like all persons living upon the earth, who like all disciples of Christ, are given a measure of the Holy Spirit. Let’s read:
Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Psalms 119: 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Zechariah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again and waked me as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.
2 And said unto me, what do you see? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof.
3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side.
4 So I answered and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, what are these, my lord?
5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
6 Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, this is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
Matthew 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them.
That phrase “Took no oil” does not mean that they never had any oil because if that were the case they would have to be really foolish to show up without any oil whatsoever. They did have oil initially, but they did not take extra, for they were not expecting a long delay.
Matthew 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes.
The servant of The Lord makes important points in her commentary on the parable. We’ll now address some of them so that we may better understand the topic for today: “The Holy Spirit in Your heart.”
[1] The class represented by the foolish virgins are not hypocrites. [Christ Object Lessons, pp 411]
These are not your everyday sinner, for they actually enjoy going to church and are busy with the work of the church including missionary endeavors that are enjoined in the Bible. But going to church and doing church work does not make you a Christian.
While church activities are encouraged, in one and all, doing so does not necessarily guarantee you an abundant entrance into God’s kingdom. The work of salvation must be occurring on a continuum in order for a believer to qualify as a growing Christian.
The lukewarm state referred to in Laodicea, hints of spiritual stagnation, or retrogression, and when one isn’t aware of their true condition, they tend to feel good about their Christianity, hence the reason why Christ’s assessments include blindness.
There has to be daily surrender to God, there has to be quality time spent with Him alone, there has to be choices made that are commensurate with the work God is doing in our hearts, and there must be self-denial in order to facilitate that work. This leads us to the second point.
[2] They have not yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit’s working. They have not fallen upon the Rock, Christ Jesus, and permitted their old nature to be broken up.
When the Christian feels content about himself, he will generally ignore the warning signs Jesus speaks of, and this eventually leads to the state of paralysis where he feels he has need of nothing, for if there’s nothing wrong with you, there is no need to go see the Doctor.
Even going for a checkup, which is the equivalent of soul searching, might ring some alarm bells, but the Christian who thinks he/ she is okay where they are, won’t do soul searching. This doesn’t stop some of them from reading the Bible however.
[3] They receive the word with readiness, but they fail of assimilating its principles. Its influence is not abiding. The class represented by the foolish virgins have been content with a superficial work.
To hear the word, and make no practical application through right choices, is the same as the truth that goes in one ear and goes out the other. After a good sermon is preached, we should not just say it was a good sermon. We should then have the truths thus spoken interface with our daily experience, through choices and decisions we make. Let’s read:
Romans 2: 13 For not the hearers of the law are just before God but the doers of the law will be justified.
Matthew 5: 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
This leads us to the final assessment given by God to His servant and thus, to us; Christians who become content with a mere superficial work, who listen to good sermons and do nothing about them, who go to church regularly, but do not surrender to God on an ongoing basis, do not know God. Let’s read:
[5] They do not know God. They have not studied His character; they have not held communion with Him; therefore, they do not know how to trust, how to look and live.
With these assessments being as grim and serious as they are, there is still hope for anyone who finds himself or herself coming up short. Jesus does not make these assessments to make us feel bad, nor is He condemning Laodicea, for they are His people.
All He wants from us is an acknowledgement of His assessments wherever applicable and once that first step is taken, it would pave the way for all the other necessary and subsequent steps to take place.
When one goes to the doctor and they get a cancer diagnosis, that isn’t given to make them feel bad, it is given so that they will begin treatment, radiation, and chemo therapy without delay so that the cancer can be stopped in its tracks and a reversal of fortune be materialized.
That’s exactly what Christ intends as He concludes His assessments. He does not leave us high and dry, hanging by a thread, nor does He leave his people in utter discouragement. Instead, God opens the door of hope to all who will seek Him in earnest.
And if we do, a brand, new day will begin to dawn in our Christian experience, the likes of which we have never seen before. The Holy Spirit is more eager to go to work in our hearts than many people realize, and if we give Him permission, He will perfect the work of salvation in us, by having Christ formed in the heart permanently.
We therefore end with two passages of Scripture that will encourage us to accept His assessments, if or wherever applicable, and we wish you all a day of new beginnings in Christ, for this is the purpose of Bible the study, to draw us closer to Him. Let’s read:
Revelation 3: 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Jeremiah 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord……
God Bless!