Person & Work of the Holy Spirit

We are on lesson 16. We got through question 1 last week. So lesson 16 of the Holy Spirit class, First and Work of the Holy Spirit. We are in the pages 53 through 56 in that area. We're talking about the unity of the Spirit. So, one thing I want to go over real quickly, which I think is an important one that we addressed in question 1, is the difference between the unity of the body and the unity of the spirit. I think there is a lot of discussion about that, about the differences.

The unity of body is a positional truth. What does that mean? It means it can't be changed. It's permanent. So the unity of the body, one body in Christ, that can't be changed. But the unity of the spirit is a conditional truth. And we'll look at a lot of verses today that will show that. And conditional means that it can change. But the important part was, Gallen brought it out last week, was when we're talking about the unity of the Spirit, we talk about the unity, uniting, bonding, joining, all those different things, and how that's conditional. But the important part of the position is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

That is a positional truth. that can't be changed. So the indwelling is permanent, it can't be changed, but the unity or walk in the flesh or walk in the spirit, that does change. So is everybody clear on that? It seems like it's clear, but the spirit never leaves us.

Right, that's the permanency, the indwelling. It can be a confusing part of the unity of the spirit. And we'll get into a lot of verses where it basically talks about what the unity means. Unity is as joint as bonding or following, the walking with, those type of things, which is conditional. I mean, are you always walking in the spirit? No, but you always have the spirit. But you always have the spirit. Like I said, I think Alan had it perfect last week.

That if the indwelling is the permanency, the positional truth, but the conditional part is the unity. So we're clear on that. We need it as we go on. That'll make a lot of differences in how we approach the questions. And I think right out made some really good statements about that when he said that.

Without the Spirit implementing the unity in the body, that would be meaningless and inoperative. The Spirit of God, we wouldn't have any power in our lives, there'd be no testimony, there'd be nothing. The unity of the Spirit is the enabling work of the Holy Spirit to manifest what is already true of us.

That's exactly right. It's a manifestation of what's true about us inside. That's what the unity is. It's manifesting what is true about us, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And our unity with the body, all those things are manifested not in our power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So again, just that clarity as we talk about the unity and why that changes or is a conditional truth versus the indwelling. That's a real key point. That's what I was trying to get at in the question one, between what is the unity of the body and unity of the spirit. So let's go on to question two.

What is the practical unity produced by the spirit? People have gotten tested a little bit on that right now. So what is the practical unity that is produced? Any others? The power of the spirit. The power of the spirit to give us our purpose and our individual responsibility. Others? You're a body of one. You're a body of one. Body of one. So the practice of unity again points back to the unity of the body.

Others? I would think the love, you know, our supernatural love is part of that. The manifestation of love? Yeah. In the body there's so much love. Yeah, that almost goes back to that circle that Mike has. Where does that start? God loved us. Then why? We love him because he loved us first.

But the manifestation of that and how that is manifested is through the power of the Holy Spirit. If you try to do it on your own... I have here that it's... Also that it is by the Spirit that the reality of divine things is brought home to earth. That's kind of what Mike was saying. That's how, you know, through the Spirit, that's how it's manifest. All these divine things are manifested through us. It's through the power of the Holy Spirit. Which goes back to a lot of things. You know, sometimes we get lost in the forest. We can't see the trees through the forest or whatever that is.

You know, we've been going a long time in the study of the Holy Spirit. And, you know, we look at very minute things, but on a whole, These are some of the things, I guess the main point is, it takes a lot of pressure off us, because it's the Holy Spirit doing these things.

It's just like what Russ was saying about love. If we try to manifest love ourselves, how far does that go? Pretty shallow. Pretty self-centered usually. But if it's done through the Spirit manifesting that, which is the love of God manifested through us, Easy. Proper. It's a manifestation of God's love. But that's the Holy Spirit.

So I thought about this as I was studying. We kind of get lost in this whole thing of how important the Holy Spirit is to us in all these things. We've gone through a bunch of different topics and a bunch of different things. But as we progress through this, we should get more relaxed in how much it's not us, but the Holy Spirit.

It's not a lot of effort. It's letting the Holy Spirit work through us. As we talk about a lot of times, it's that straw, that tube. He's working through us. We're just letting him work through us. That takes all the burden off of us. Why is it so hard to put yourself aside? Well, that goes back to I think what I always pound on is identification.

If you don't understand that you're co-crucified, which doesn't mean we still have two natures in us. which is like the sea captain who's tied to the mast. We don't have to listen to him anymore. The example we have of the sea captain who's been replaced at sea. He's tied to the mast. And as the sailors walk by, he's still barking commands. Do they have to listen to him? No. But he's still barking commands.

And so I think it's going back to the Romans 6. Wrecking yourself dead. And what? Alive in the God. So whenever it's a work, whenever it's something, that's the old man. And the more you understand that separation, that co-crucifixion, and when it's a work, when it's an effort, when it's, you know, it's self.

And the more you start understanding that, the more freedom you have, the more you can operate from a position of rest. It's the wrong question, Howard. Because your question was, why is it so hard for us to put the self aside? It's impossible for you to do that.

So understanding, like Courtney was saying, what the positional truth is that you've been co-crucified with Christ, it's the job of the Holy Spirit to put him aside. It's our job to trust him. Yeah, it's trusting in the facts, and we'll get to that, about that. You know, it goes back, you know, when you start understanding these things about the identification, I remember I think Holly, one, one, several classes ago or something, talked about how the assurance of salvation. Old days, I always, you know, there'd be things I questioned as my salvation, and I always Go back to my John 1028.

You're in God's hand and you can't escape. That was my anchor verse. You know, I thought, boy, God, I'm in God's hand and I can't climb out. That was where, you know, if I had doubted my salvation. After knowing the identification tutors, I've never, ever had a doubt ever again. Not once. Because if you know you're dead, there is no, I can't, I can't get out of being placed in the Christ and I'm dead. So I've never, ever, ever worried about that ever since. I've never had a doubt about my salvation because I'm dead.

God looks at me and I'm dead. My old man, dead. Now I'm placed into Christ. If I'm into Christ, how do I ever get out of here? I just never have ever had that doubt ever again because I understand that. Now once the co-crucifixion happens, that old man is dead positionally.

Well, I'm sorry. Mary and I were discussing that Watchmen read. And I love the way, I mean, I just opened the book up in the middle and I hadn't started reading it, but he said, you know, it's like being married to this person who the law is like being married to a bad husband. I loved this.

And so then she keeps hoping that he'll die, which I sit on. But then she decides she can die. I mean that is so... I mean it was like... It's free. The freedom of it is amazing. I mean that's the whole thing of the identification and we're not... You know I was wondering about all these guys who want to go back to the law and go back to all these earthly things. When you really look at it, you know, you're dead to the law. There's so many verses that say that. You're dead to the law now.

How freeing is that? That we're in Him. And Christ fulfilled the law and now we are in him, we are free from the law. And that is just so freeing to have that. And we are now the perfect husband, the bride and the bridegroom. It doesn't get any better than that. Alright, so the question two, what is the practical union produced by the Spirit and the people of God? Right out of the states.

This is when he is permitted to impress the truth of the one body, that's position, upon us, and lead us to act, condition, in accordance with divine principles. So again, he ties both of those, I think, in positionally. The truth of the one body, which is positional, and lead us to act. That's a conditional statement, in accordance with divine principles.

If you look at 1 Corinthians 2, 9 through 16, there are a lot of great truths in that section of scripture. 1 Corinthians 2, 9-16 Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the Spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct him?

But we have the mind of Christ." There are a lot of truths about what the Spirit does, about the practical unity, what he does, impressing, lead us in accordance with divine principles. many truths in there. The biggest one which just blows my mind is verse 16. This is one of those ones. You read this and at the end of verse 16, but we have the mind of Christ. What do you think about that? Sounds pretty good. Sounds pretty good, huh? But we have the mind of Christ.

Because we're involved by the Spirit, and because God the Spirit involves us, it seems like that's why we have the mind of Christ, because we're led by God himself. We're going to go back to a lot of the things that are in those verses, and that's why I bring them up. But, that just blows my mind. Every time I read that verse, and if you go to the Greek part of it, the word have is in the present tense. That's a continuous, incomplete action. Continuous. The mind of Christ, continuous. It's the active voice. So the subject produces the action. And the indicative mood. It's a statement of fact or reality. You have the mind of Christ.

Huh? I mean, every time I read that verse, I keep thinking, does he know Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock, when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, and that brings out a Friday with thousands of mosquitoes in a terrible place, stuck and hauling people out of ditches and gullies. Do I have the mind of Christ at that point?

I do. I may be relying more on the flesh than I am the spirit, But I have the mind of Christ. We'll go back to the verses and how that is so. Paula. It seems like the mind of Christ kind of coincides with the fruit of the Spirit. Like I would think the mind of Christ would be like joy and regardless of circumstances, like you're saying, to have that underlying kind of like joy and peace and longsuffering and you know, all those other things that I guess that's what Christ had when he was on earth. You know, what was Christ's purpose here? To die. And to what? Glorify the Father. In all things. So, when I'm out in the middle of the Never Never Land, getting eaten by mosquitoes and all that, you know, in all things I'm to glorify Him.

And understand, again, the peace that I have is understanding He's a sovereign God, He's in control of all these things. We were talking about that, and I'm not going to point to you and talk about cancer anymore. I'll point some more out. It's like, God's in control of all these things. And you can have the peace, the understanding, if you know He's in control, you're in Him, the Holy Spirit indwells you, you can't be separated from His love. I'll give you the example.

This last week, I can show you the pictures again of my garden. Beautiful garden this year. Wonderful. Melons, viney crops are doing great. We've been pulling peppers like crazy. And when was it, Tuesday? Two inches of hail and an inch and a half of rain. I now can't identify most of my plants. There's nothing left. So for the Labor Day picnic, all of you who like to raid my garden and have fun in my garden, little slim pickings again now. All the viney crops are gone, everything gone.

I could get very angry about that. I could wonder, does God love me? And I could think, why? I have this thing that God may be telling me I'm not supposed to get a garden, this is like two or three years in a row, but it's one of those things. God's certainly in control. I can look at it and I can get angry, I can get frustrated, I can do all these things, but God's in control. And did he know about that?

Sure. So, I'm going to give us a verse which I love in Job. Again, the understanding that the Holy Spirit indwelling you manifests who? Christ. And that's where you do get to joy, peace, all the fruit, one, it all comes as a package. That's how it is through the Spirit. But again, it's the Spirit manifesting it. How much do you try to do that? You don't try. It's the Holy Spirit doing it through you. That's the rest, the peace, that surpasses all understanding. It's the Holy Spirit's job. We're just that tube.

You know, when University Hills Baptist Church was demolished, that was really hard for me to take. And I thought, how can that be? Really, I knew in my mind it's just a building. But, you know, when you see destruction of something that would be your home, It's really rough.

But, you know, like you said, the Holy Spirit takes over. I was ready. I'm through with religion. It's horrible. And then I stumbled in here and I feel free. I'll tell you, I was an elder in another church. When you're an elder, you have an incredible desire for the flock. It's not something you can put on. It's a burden that the Lord puts on you. And things happened and got out. And that's probably the toughest part of my life was when that got removed.

But I look back and I'm here. And the truths that I know here, I have the exact same story. And I go back to, you think Joseph in the bottom of the pit was rejoicing with his brothers hucking in the pit? And he's going, hey, I know God is doing a great work right here. And I think of that, that in the end, when you look back, you see what God was doing. And it's amazing. We'll get into a lot of verses that touch that main joke, which I think are tremendous. So again, how do we have the mind map? How is that possible?

If you look back at some of the verses we read in 1 Corinthians 2, 9 through 16, God, in verse 10, God revealed them through the Spirit. In verse 12, now we have received what? But the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know things freely given to us by God. And then verse 13, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. And then in 15, but he who is spiritual appraises all things.

So it's the Spirit working in us that gives us this. It's the Spirit. It doesn't say that you try hard, that if you do this, if you do that. It's the Spirit doing it. Rest. Relax. It's the Spirit's job. It's a hard concept and that's why I think it takes us a lifetime to figure this out and rely upon that. But that's the One who has the work. He's given us the Spirit to do all, who reveals, who gives all things freely, who does all this stuff. So, you know, it gives us great peace to know that that's the Spirit's job, not ours. It doesn't say how hard you try in here. It's the Spirit working. Relax. It's the Spirit's work. So, I also look at Romans 8, 4 through 16, or 4 through 6, excuse me, actually 5, it's verse 5 and 6. Romans 8.

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh. For those who are according to the spirit, the things of the spirit. For the mind set on flesh is what? Death. But the mind set on the spirit is what? Life and peace. So if you set your mind on the spirit, it's life and peace. As I said when I had the hail damage. It's the Spirit. I can get very frustrated, but God's in control. I looked at that and it was actually beautiful. After a while. After I saw all those crushed plants, it was beautiful to see that.

Also, Romans 8, 15 and 17. For you have not received the spirit of slavery, leading to fear again, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out, Abba, Father, Daddy. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit, that we are children of God. And if children, heirs also. And heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Again, the Spirit testifies that. That we're heirs, we're children of God.

That's how the mind of Christ. Alright, any other questions? We'll go on to question three. Why is there failure for the most part to keep the unity of the Spirit? We want our own way. We interfere. And who is that? What? The sin nature. The old man. Ego, old man. Old man. Others? Why? Why is there failure?

They don't realize that Christ has a church on the earth established upon the principles of his truth. Exactly, that's what Rite Out has in that they seem never to realize that Christ has a church on earth, established upon principles of His truth, and ordered according to His will revealed in His word. As a result, they are incapable of entering into the unity of the Spirit. Incapable. I basically said, is it also a lack of knowledge of the word and lack of faith? That was really where I come down on this.

Remember, well, Vern has that graphic he has upstairs, he's been using the train track, the train and the caboose, the tracker, the tracks of the fact that if you don't have the train tracks, the facts, where are you going in the train? Nowhere, basically.

So you need to know the facts. You need to know what's true. And where do you get that from? The word. And then what's the train in his example is what? Faith. You got to believe it. That's the second one. And the last part of it is the feelings. The feelings come along at the very end. That's the last part of it. I don't even know if that's necessary. You don't need a caboose anymore on a train. I don't know if you need the feelings anymore. It's facts. Understand what's true in God's word and then believe it.

So, as expressed in 1 Corinthians 2.16, do you believe you have the mind of Christ? Do you believe that you're an heir of God by which you can cry out to God and call him Daddy?

Romans 8.15.

And in 1 Corinthians 2.12, now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. Again, facts and believe in them. Do you have the mind of Christ? It says it. The word says it. Now do you believe it?

I think right here it might be appropriate to talk about that all the Bible is for us, but it's not all written to us specifically as members of the body of Christ. Because you can read what information that God wrote to Israel, and it's not appropriate for us.

We are a separate entity in the body of Christ and the epistles, especially Paul's epistles, speak directly to us as members and that's where we learn what's ours, what's freely given to us. And I think that's where the Spirit is key in defining those and delineating those things. Which are true about the Jews and what's true about the Church, that's where the Spirit needs to, or his job is to point us in the direction of who we are as the body of Christ, not as a covenant-based or law-based or earth-based body. There are a lot of things in there as we talk about the Lord's Prayer or the Beatitudes and some of those things that people draw out. I think it was Timothy, all scripture is profitable and all that. What I think is that is you see the character of God in these things, but it may not be germane to us as the body of Christ. You know, when you look at the Beatitudes and some of those, if you really put that in perspective, if you are in Christ, do those things make sense to you?

So Mike's right. You have to rightly divine the word, which is the Holy Spirit's job. This is confusing. I mean, what? You mean that everything that's in the Bible isn't really meant for us? Not all of it's directly like that. There are promises to the Jews. Where are their blessings? Heavenly or earthly? Earthly. Is that us? No. So you see the differences? We have all these promises of the body of Christ. That we're placed into Christ. Those who are believers are placed into Christ. The Jews and Old Testament saints, there are a lot of differences. We try to put a fairness doctrine in this, that it's all fair if we try to be equivalent, and that's wrong. But there are differences. The Jews have earthly promises. But they're not for us.

So there are things in the scripture that deal directly with us and deal... Jews, Gentiles, and the church. The three streams that go through the Bible. Those are the three entities dealt with. there are different directions or promises or actions to those different entities. So not everything is directly to us. But why does it say there's no longer Jew, Gentile, slave, whatever? To those who believe.

So that's going to be not, I still, in my mind I'm an engineer, I try to figure these things out. You know, how do you not have gender after I, you know, when I enter into I mean, I'm a guy. I'm a guy. How do I get out of that? I don't understand that part of it. Where there is no gender or anything like that. That's just one of those kind of, my mind boggles.

I just happened to be turning. Actually, Mike had something. Did you have it? Yeah. To answer your question. I forget the exact verse, but it goes like this, if any man be in Christ, if that's true, then he's an entirely new creation. We'll have that verse later.

Old things have passed away, behold everything has become new. And the newness includes all your earthly identities, whether you're Jew or Gentile, bond or free, barbarian, Republican, The newness of this new man in Christ doesn't have any of those distinguishments. I want to quote that verse out of 2 Timothy that you brought up and said be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Dividing the word of truth is simply reading in the word what is for me, the believer positioned in Christ, and what is for the Jew when the millennial kingdom starts.

Are they different? Yes they are. They are dramatically different. What I am, as a member of the body of Christ, is so far above anything God ever promised to the Jews, it's just mind-boggling. Hal was the one that really started me on that one, and I remember he basically said, when you read scripture, who is the scripture you're talking to? That's true.

And you really have to do that, because there are a lot of people who go left when they should have gone right. They apply things that were never meant to be for the body of Christ. And they apply, it's usually a lot of covenant stuff, a lot of law based stuff, a lot of these different things, and that has nothing to do with us. And yet you have to read that and understand that, like I said, the Beatitudes, all those different things, that that's not for us. The Beatitudes are not for us. The Millennial Kingdom. That's huge.

Yeah, read those and see, understand, like, put yourself, you're in Christ, and Ephesians 1, 3, we've been, all spiritual blessings, we've been, all of them, and then read those things, and blessed is he who, wait a minute, if I do this, I'm going to be blessed? I've been told, I've had all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, Ephesians 1, 3. So, how does that make sense to me, if I'm going to bless, if I do something? I've already got everything.

So you have to understand those things. Start figuring it out when you read things. Try to understand, does that make sense to me placed into Christ? Does that make sense? Question four. I was going to say, it doesn't mean you shouldn't read the Bible.

That's why I say all the Timothy verses, I think it's Timothy, all scriptures, and a lot of these things, and I'm going to quote Job when I get there, actually now we are. So what Old Testament, question four, what Old Testament verse of the Alpha Quote to show how men decide what is right? Anybody get that? reference, I don't think he gave it.

Judges 12, 6. Judges 6, 17. That was in Old Testament, so we needed an Old Testament reference. Well that was in Old Testament. I didn't have 12, I had 17, 6 or 21, 25. Those are the two verses that are the same. And I'll read 21-25. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. So I think both those Judges 17-6 or Judges 21-25 both have that. Everyone was right in their own eyes.

That's the reference he has. Well, it says, this was something, the way I'll get to that one. I had to look that one up. It was pronounced. So the way it was pronounced, that's how when the army was coming across or something, they would ask them to pronounce that word. And if they mispronounced it, they killed them. Well, that's how they separated the ones that were truly on I just I just looked up the definition.

I didn't go to work with you. So maybe I'm sorry. This is to me. I'll have to. I'll have to look that up. If that wasn't actually. What was that about? What was right? How they decided in the Old Testament is the judge is 17, six or twenty one, twenty five after class. I mean, I want to see where you get where that comes up. What I did was. Yes. Where is that one verse about where it explains why we still need the Old Testament? Is that in the Romans? I mean, it has something to do with how...

1 Timothy. Yeah, 1 Timothy 5. Is it 5? I didn't... Because I've had somebody ask me that. And it's like, no, it's still an example. It's proving why law doesn't work. That's why we... Yeah, I mean, well, there's what is it, Galatians 5? About the tutor? It's the one about the tutor. It's 20. I know it's like 23 and 24. It's 523 and 24. But a lot of people use that one that the law is a tutor to point us to Christ. I think it's the Galatians 523, 24. And everybody use that. A lot of law based people use that and say, aha, look. Does anybody have that? Everybody use that first verse. It says, The law is a tutor to point us to Christ. The next verse says what? Now that Christ has come, there is no need for the tutor. What was the tutor? The law. There is no need for the law anymore.

Basically, I go back to this. The Old Testament points us to Christ. It points us and also says of how law is failing. You can't be perfect under the law. All that Old Testament where they try and do this, it shows failure. Just like the Galatians verse, it points us to Christ. Is that it?

Galatians 3.24. Seems like a real effort to want to control people, I guess. Why would we want to keep going back to that? It seems like, well, grace don't so... It's freeing that we're all going to run amok and so have law to keep people in line. Right. And it's the misdemeaning of the word.

Like I said, that one with the Galatians 3.23.24 basically says we don't need the law anymore. Christ has come. It pointed us to it and the need, but now Christ has come, you no longer need it. And there are so many verses in Romans and others where we're dead to the law, we're no longer under the law. I mean, how many of these verses do you need to say that you're not in law?

But getting back to, I think, maybe kind of, I diverted a little bit on your question, was, you know, the Timothy verse says, all scripture is profitable. And I think that's to show, a lot of times in the Old Testament, God's character, God's attributes, all those things that show his attribute and point us to Christ who was necessary. That's what a lot of the Old Testament, if you can read it with that purpose and understand that, then you can understand why the Old Testament used it for those purposes. I think the verse Laura is after is 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. 2 Timothy what? 3, 16 and 17. What is that? Do you have that?

Paul's scripture is given by inspiration of God. So I think that's again to show the character of God, to point us to Christ, all those things, that's what the Old Testament is for. As Mike was saying too, the things we look at, do we look at that for who we are in Christ? No. The epistles of Paul basically point us to who we are in Christ. That points to the body of Christ. the church, all those things weren't revealed until basically Paul put them down in the epistles and said, here's who you are in Christ.

But I'm going to use some of the, we're on this, on the question of what is right. The one that I think, I go back and I love the verses in Job, I quoted them or just brought them up in generality, but I'm going to read you some. And this is looking at the Old Testament. How did man decide what is right? I love in Job where he thinks he's a smart cookie. God points out how smart he was. Job 38, 1-5. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have an understanding, who set its measurements, since you know, or have stretched a line out on it? Going down to 16 and 18, have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.

Job 41-5. Then the Lord said to Job, Will the fault finder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it. Then Job answered the Lord and said, Behold, I am insignificant. What can I reply to you? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, I will not answer. Even twice, I will add nothing more.

So he goes on for four chapters actually explaining how knowledgeable Job is versus God. But then in chapter 42, 1 through 6, then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things, that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?

Therefore, I have declared that which I do not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. hear now and I will speak. I will ask you, and you instruct me. I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you. Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes."

Four chapters of explaining his knowledge versus God's knowledge. So when we do what's right in our mind, think of those four chapters. Does God have a better plan for us, or do we have a better plan? Is it better for us to decide what's right or to look at the word? Read those chapters and you'll get the answer.

In contrast with that, you're quoting 1 Corinthians chapter 2 where he quotes the Old Testament and he says, But it's written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. See, we're not like Job in the sense that we're going to walk around ignorant. No. Because we're in Christ, the Spirit of God is constantly revealing to us the things that have never entered into our heart.

Right. The things that God has prepared for those who love Him. But that's my point into Job. Amen. Are we smarter than Him? No way. He's revealing things that are beyond our comprehension. He's giving us the mind of Christ. Just mull that one over again. He's revealing all this stuff. I'd rather rely on his mind and his spirit than the old man and his great knowledge.

And that's why if we have the mind of Christ Christ doesn't need the law. You know, I mean, Christ trying to stay under the law? Well, it says Christ fulfilled the law. Perfectly fulfilled. Right. So why would there be? Why would Christ? Well, if we're in Christ, yeah. I mean, it all fits together if you really lay this all out.

So, let's see if we can get question five done before. Question five, we're equally shocked by deliberate and persistent ignoring of the unity of the Spirit. What is your reaction to this question in the text? We're equally shocked by the deliberate and persistent ignoring of the unity of the Spirit. I'm not shocked at all the way everything's going. I don't know if that's a good answer or a bad answer. So remember from question two, what is the practical unity produced by the Spirit that people of God write out says, this is when he is permitted to impress the truth of the one body upon us and lead us to act in accordance with the divine principle.

So with this then as a framework for the unity of spirit, do believers today deliberately and persistently ignore the unity of the spirit? They have no idea. Yes, no? How many no's? How many yes's? With the unity of the spirit, do believers today deliberately and persistently ignore the unity of the spirit? They do, yes.

We handed out that 215 things that are true about you. You fully understand and trust in those and believe in those, right? Every one of them. Do you believe you have the mind of Christ? We just tested on that one. persistently and deliberately ignoring the unity of the Spirit. These things that are true in the Word.

I have a question. Do you believe all these truths or do you think what is right in your own eyes? This can't be true of me. This cannot be true of me. I do not have the mind of Christ. I'm doing what is right in my own eyes. Scripture says, I am the mind of Christ.

Ephesians 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Are you deliberately and persistently ignoring that?

Galatians 2.20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. Deliberately and persistently ignoring that. 2 Corinthians 5-17, that's where we quoted this earlier. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old thing passed away, behold new things have come. Do you believe that?

Persistently and deliberately ignore that. I go on and on. Those 215 things, those are true of you right now. You know, we get high on our horse and say, oh, that's those old guys who, you know, deliberately and persistently. But then I, you know, like I said, point. You point, they're three pointing back at myself. If I'm pointing at somebody else, I got three pointing back at me about how I, persistently and deliberately ignore a lot of these truths that are true about me.

And as a Holy Spirit. Again, it's not our job. It's just to believe. The unmeritorious act of believing. Understand the facts. Trust in them. Believe them. It's the Holy Spirit's job to manifest them. Again, it's to us to believe that. And it's the Holy Spirit's job to convict and convince us. That was part of the lesson. It's His job to convince us of that.

It's just how long do you want to resist it? How long do you want to dig your heels in and say, I'm going to do what's right in my eyes. That can't be true of me. Spirit's going to keep working and keep trying to convince you and convict you of these truths that are true about you.

You know, it's a wonderful thing to relax in the truths that are true about us. It's fantastic. That's where the peace that surpasses It's in Christ. As we rest and relax in that and understand who we are in Christ, it's great. Alright, let's close. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. Again, we thank you for each and every time we study your Word. We thank you again for the Holy Spirit.

We rest and relax in the fact that it's the Holy Spirit's job. We are to understand the facts and to trust, believe. in faith, what is true about us. We pray for the Holy Spirit's convicting and convincing us of these truths because it is a wonderful and incredible thing that we have been placed into Christ.

A position like that is our position right now. and what that means to us. And we just thank you for all that you've done. It's not our efforts. It's not about us. It's about what Christ did on the cross and the Holy Spirit convincing and convicting us of who we are in Christ and what that means. So the ultimate goal being conformed and transformed into the image of Christ.

We thank you for that process. We just give you thanks that our thoughts and our plans are but dust in comparison to your thoughts and your plans and what you have for us. And that gives us great joy and peace. So Father, we just thank you for your word and your indwelling spirit. We just pray in advance for Vern, for giving the message upstairs, and prepare our hearts to receive it. We do all these things in Christ's name. Amen.