By Christ's Spirit We Are Partakers

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Romans 8; Lord's Day 20
Psalters: 391, 64, 27, 287
  1. Of Christ.
    1. The Holy Spirit is a Person (not just a power).
      1. He is a distinct Person in the Godhead, equal with the Father and the Son.
      2. Scripture does not isolate His Person or His work from the other two Persons (John 15:26; 16:7; Acts 1:4,8).
    2. He is given to the church.
      1. First, He was given to Jesus at His exaltation as Head of the church (Acts 2:33).
      2. Then on Pentecost the exalted Lord gave this His Spirit to the church, which He indwells forever.
    3. This Spirit makes the church (and all her members) to be partakers of Christ.
    4. By doing this the Spirit unites the church members to Christ and to each other (cf. Eph. 4:3).
  2. Also the Spirit is the means Christ uses to distribute the benefits He earned.
    1. First, the Spirit regenerates (John 3:8; Rom. 8:10,11; Ezek. 37).
    2. The Spirit reveals by means of Scripture (John 16:13; I Tim. 4:1).
    3. The Spirit enables the regenerated to confess Jesus to be the Son of God and that they belong to Him.
    4. The Spirit sanctifies (Titus 3:5; II Thess. 2:13; I Peter 1:2).
  3. And the Spirit makes us partakers of final salvation by promise, as the earnest of it (II Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14).
    1. The Spirit seals us “to the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).
    2. Let us be aware of His presence in us.
      1. It is He Who unites us to Jesus, our Husband (I Cor. 3:16).
      2. Let us live as though our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and we must take care of them for Him!
    3. Let us be careful not to “grieve” or “quench” the Spirit (Eph. 4:30; I Thess. 5:19).
    4. Can we see evidence of the Spirit at work in us?