The Person and work of the Holy Spirit lesson 4 was only recorded for 10...
Courtney Hemenway · Mar 28, 2021
Holy Spirit (2021-23), No. 06
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261922176270

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

All right, we are, we blazed through question one last week. So any other thoughts from that? Anybody look up anything different from what we were talking about? Just kind of curious on that. So we're in lesson four on the person, work of the Holy Spirit. Anybody have any other follow up on that or thoughts about the one who, sorry, who, Sets the Holy Spirit in us as the Lord. Anybody else have anything on that or look anything up that would change that?

Just out of curiosity. I don't want to open that rabbit trail too far up, but just curious. Give you an opportunity, because I sprung that on you last week. All right, well, not hearing anything, let's move on to question two. Read Joel 22, 28 through 32. And so I'll read that now and then go back up to the question. Let me get here. Oops, went too far. Sorry, my mouse is giving me a little trouble here.

All right, and it will come about after this that I will pour out my spirit on all mankind, and your sons and daughters will prophecy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants, I will pour out my spirit in those days. And I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood. before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered. For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls."

So the question is, does this passage disprove what we've been saying about the unique character and destiny of the church, or is it not after all identical with Israel? No. No. It speaks of the millennium. That's what's going to happen to Israel in the millennium. Yeah, so Peter actually quoted this in Acts 2, so the first question I had, and I already had a verbose no, are the church and Israel the same? No, no, they are two. No. Thank you. Two distinct entities. So in answer, right out refers to several passages in scripture referring to John the Baptist and his ministry and his purpose and different things there.

He had Luke 1, 17. And it is he will go as a forerunner before him in spirit and power. And then in Matthew 17, 10. And his disciples asked him, saying, when do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? And he answered and said, Elijah is coming and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands. And then Matthew 11, 14. And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah who was to come. So John was in his person, the fulfillment of the promise as to Elias.

And then also if the Jews had, now this is where I get into it, but I broadened the question a little bit. If the Jews had accepted him and his message, they would have found that the kingdom of Christ would have been introduced in the day of the Lord ushered in. And then he also says, so in just the same way the outpouring of the spirit of Pentecost was to all intents, had the nation been ready to bow to God, the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy.

So my question is, do you think that was probable? Probable, that he's saying that had Israel accepted Christ, all of what Joel said would have come true then. It's probable. But it wasn't according to God's plan. So how do you think it's probable? I think the question is, would he have done it or not? Okay, another question. Same thing. I think he would have.

He would have, but do you think it was at all possible or probable? Well, you know, I can probably get the legal description as expert witness when probability is 51%. You know, you use the words in expert witness testimony that are very specific and probability, you know, is there a 51% chance that that could have happened?

Impossible. What's that? I was saying impossible. Impossible. Not, not probable. I mean, it was not destined to be Lord's plan. Yeah, it was not in God's plan that it would have happened, so it's kind of a non-issue really. I think you see in the Old Testament a lot of times where God said, I'm going to do so and so, but he doesn't carry it out because the people responded. It's like Nineveh. He was going to destroy Nineveh and the people repented and he didn't do it.

I just thought it was kind of interesting the way Rideout put it, that had they done this, history would have been changed. There would have been no church. That's my next question. The question first was probability or possibility. Could this have happened? And right out says, oh, if they'd done that, all of this would have come true about them, what's true in the millennium. So if that's true, what happens to the church?

Well, there would be no church. Well, you can't say that because there wasn't any. At this point in time, there's no prophecy about the church. Church is a secret. The Apostle Paul hasn't shown up on the scene and so you don't really know what he would do. The church was actually his primary goal. but the kingdom is part of what he has prophesied about, but not the church.

But see, what I think, so if it happens that they accept and now the Spirit has come upon them, which we'll see later, and then they have the law written on their hearts and all this, What happens to the church? Would it still be there? So I just, with the way Rideout put this, I kind of was flagged. It's like, had Israel done this, I don't think we would have had the church. Or we don't know. Because had they kind of, we almost jump skip the rapture. Oh, we lost him. Yeah, we didn't realize we froze up there and then we lost all internet here, so... So anyway, have you had discussions? Have you come up with an answer while you've been gone?

You know, basically, it was possible for Israel to believe in the Messiah, you know, when Jesus came. considering their history. I read through the Old Testament. I read the whole Bible every year. And even when they were going through the desert, there were so many worshipers of idols. And God was ready to destroy them all. They've never been totally united in their service to God. They've always been idol worshipers.

Exactly right. Yeah, I guess the thought is, what happens if, this is just the way I'm kind of contesting what Wright output, that if they had done this, they would have been all the things Joel prophesied, which is basically millennial truths. That would have happened.

Well, I don't think that would have been possible, because we're talking about this on our outage here. You know, if Christ, we already have John, Acts is after John 17, where he's talking about all this stuff. So could he have done this simultaneously? You know, the church, build the church, as well as step into the millennial part. But I don't think that's possible because he's told us about the rapture and what's going on, you know, going back into Daniel and all the things that are true there. So I don't think it could have, I guess I just was contesting what Right Out said.

I don't think they could have done this. or or it it was possible but the probability is like zero oh man you're breaking up again wow sound like a cyber chicken are we are we okay now yeah that's good i was gonna i was gonna bring up um Luke 10, 13, where Jesus says, you know, woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, for some miracles have been performed in Tyre and Sidon, which occurred in you. They would have repented long ago and backed off in ashes. He goes on, and I mean, Jesus, as omniscient, can see the what if.