(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Now, we just finished reading the famous passage there in John chapter 14 about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the coming of the Comforter or the Holy Ghost. Turn back a few pages if you would to John chapter 7 and let me show you a scripture in John chapter 7 that deals with the same subject. John 7 verse 37, the Bible reads, In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified. So this verse tells us when the Holy Ghost is going to be given, when the Spirit of God will be given, and it's going to be when Jesus is glorified. It had not been given at this time. And notice who it's going to be given to. It says in verse 38, He that believeth on me. And then again in verse 39 it says, But this he spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. This is another great scripture that just proves again that salvation is by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Not of works lest any man should boast. It's all by faith. Go to where we were now and we'll get a little more detail about the Spirit of Truth that was going to come. It says in verse 16, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive. Because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him. For he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you, I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. So there are several things we can learn from these verses here. The Bible is teaching first of all that the Comforter is not going to be received by the world. It's only going to be received by those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And then the Bible also says that he is already with you, Jesus speaking to the disciples before he was glorified. He said he's with you, but he shall be in the future in you. And then he says, I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. So this is more proof that the Holy Spirit is God. Now a lot of people will try to say, well the Holy Spirit's just a spirit, meaning that it's just like a force or a presence. No the Holy Spirit is a person according to the Bible, and that person is God. And that's why Jesus Christ, he says, the Comforter is going to come to you. I'm going to send the Comforter to you, but then in the next breath he says, I'll come to you. Why? Because the Bible says that the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, and it also says Christ in you, the hope of glory. It also says that Jesus Christ is in you. And so the Holy Spirit of God is a person, and it is the same person as God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course we believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. That's what the Bible teaches in 1 John 5.7. Jump down if you would to verse 26. The Bible says, but the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. So what is the Holy Spirit's ministry here according to the Scripture? Well first of all he's called the Comforter. What does comfort mean? Well it comes from the root word of fort. You see that, com-fort? Basically it means one that strengthens you, okay? Let's say you're going through a difficult time and you're sad or you're sorrowful or heavy, and someone comes to you and comforts you, they're strengthening you, they're helping you, they're comforting you. And so the Bible says that he's the Comforter, and it says that when he's come, he says that he will teach you all things. Do you see that? Now in 1 John 2, you don't have to turn there, but the Bible says, but the anointing which ye have received of him, talking about the Holy Spirit, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth and is no lie, even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. So again, the Holy Spirit is shown in both 1 John chapter 2 and in John 14 to be one who will teach you all things, not some things, not most things, he will teach you all things. Anything that you need to know from the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is able to teach you that. Pastor Anderson does not have a different anointing that allows him to gain access to knowledge and revelation that you do not have access to. We all have access by the same Spirit. We all have the same comforter, Holy Ghost of God living inside of us, and we have the power to understand the Scriptures for ourselves. That's why the tragedy in modern day churches is that the average person comes to church and listens to the preaching of God's Word, and they get it from the man of God, but they do not go home and read the Bible themselves, Monday through Saturday. And the Bible is clear that we as the believer, whether you're a pastor or not, whether you're ever planning on being a pastor or not, you have the power to open the Bible on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and to learn from it the unsearchable riches of Christ. You have the power to pray, as it says in Psalm 119, open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law, and God will answer that prayer. And so we need to take advantage of that and not just come to church and hear the Word preached, but to realize that the Holy Ghost can teach us everything. Now does that mean that we don't come to church? No, because the Bible commands us to go to church. The Bible commands us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. The Bible tells us that he gave us pastors and teachers in order to edify us and perfect us and build us up, but most of our reading, most of our knowledge needs to come from a time that's just alone with God and the Bible throughout the week, and not just rely on church to give us all the knowledge that we need. The Bible says that he will teach you all things, same as what he said in 1 John 2, in verse 26 there, and then he says he will bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. So the Holy Spirit's other ministry is that, let's say you're out and you're soul winning and you're giving the Gospel to someone, right? And you've read the Bible a lot, well, what the Holy Spirit will do is he'll bring Scriptures to your remembrance that will help you in that situation, that will be something that you can share with that person to help them understand. Many times I've been talking to somebody and a verse just popped into my mind, right? And that's the Holy Spirit bringing that Scripture to your remembrance. When a Scripture just pops into your mind, you say, oh, that's a perfect verse to tell this person. Not only that, but you might be tempted to sin, and then a Scripture pops into your mind, rebuking you for your tendency to sin there. That's the Holy Spirit bringing to remembrance all things that Jesus Christ has said unto us. Look at the next chapter, John 15. John 15 verse 26 says this, But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father... And again, you have all three members of the Trinity right there. You have the Father, the Comforter, and the Son right there in one verse. Many verses are like that in the Bible that mention all three, showing three distinct persons. The Bible says, 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. Notice the personal pronoun, he. The Holy Spirit is referred to as both it and he in the Bible, throughout the Bible. It says, He shall testify of me, and he also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. Go to chapter 16, John chapter 16. Look at verse 7. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away. What does expedient mean? It's profitable. It's actually a good thing for you if I go away. He says, For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. Now what that tells me in verse 7 is that having the Comforter with you is extremely important because Jesus is actually saying that it's more expedient for me to be physically gone and I'm sure it was a great privilege and a great blessing to be there physically with the Lord Jesus Christ for three and a half years as his disciples were. But he says it's expedient for you that I go away that you might have the Comforter indwelling you and look, we today as believers, I'll show you this further, we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit today as believers. We are indwelled by the Comforter. We have this Comforter. Do we even understand the privilege that it is to be indwelled by the Holy Spirit? Do we understand the power associated with that to the point where Jesus said it's expedient that I go away just so that you might be indwelled by the Comforter? Just so that the Spirit might not only be with you, but also in you. Look at verse 8, or at the end of verse 7 he says, but if I depart I will send him unto you. Verse 8, and when he is come he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin because they believe not on me. Of righteousness because I go to my Father and you see me no more. Of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. So although the Holy Spirit cannot be received by the world, although the Holy Spirit does not indwell the unsaved or the unbelievers, he still has a ministry to basically rebuke them. To reprove them. What does that mean? It means to tell them that they're wrong. And this is wrongly translated into these modern Bible versions. Look, this church is King James only with no apologies. These modern versions, they have so many things in them that are blasphemous. You know, for example, in Luke 2 33, these modern versions, they say that Joseph is Jesus' father. No, Jesus had no earthly father. He's the son of God. That's why he was called the son of God. Because he was born of a virgin. And there are all kinds of false doctrines and even the new King James is filled with false doctrine. Like when it says that difficult is the way that leads to life and few there be to find. No, the Bible says narrow is the way, meaning that there are few that be saved. He said it in response to a question of one of his disciples, are there few that be saved? And he said, strive to enter in at the straight gate, the narrow way. Few there be that find it. But in the new King James it's difficult to get saved. Well, I guess if you have to work your way to heaven it's difficult. I guess if you're trusting in the works that you're doing, then that would be pretty difficult. In fact, it'd be impossible, but thank God Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as dough. And my friend, it is easy to be saved today because believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Jesus did the hard part when He died and was buried and rose again. We have the easy part, believe. I mean, what's harder, to give an expensive gift or to receive an expensive gift? Receiving an expensive gift is easy. Paying for an expensive gift is not easy. And that's the part that Jesus did. We just receive it with that childlike faith. It's as easy as drinking a glass of water, it's as easy as eating a piece of bread, it's as easy as opening a door. He said, I am the door. If any man enter in by me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. And so, salvation's easy, but the New King James and all these other versions, they all change this to say, you know, he'll convict the world of sin. And then they say, you know, you've got to be convicted of your sins and all that. Not a biblical concept. Nowhere in the Bible does God ever convict anyone of their sins. Now that makes people mad whenever I say that, but it's not in the Bible. The word is not used in the Bible about God convicting anyone of sin at any time. The word conviction is not found. And so these terms, people get really attached to them, but they're not biblical. And so I don't preach them. And this has changed, and it just makes me wonder, are these people reading a New King James? Are they reading an NIV when they keep talking about conviction, conviction, conviction? When the Bible doesn't use that term. The Bible says he'll reprove the world of sin. That means that he will rebuke them. The Holy Spirit will confront them with the fact that they are wrong. That's what the Bible means here when it says he'll reprove the world of sin and of rights to some judgment. And notice, what is the sin that he's reproving in verse 9? Is it drinking? What is it? It's the fact that they don't believe. He says he'll reprove them of sin because they believe not on me. He says he'll reprove them of righteousness because I go to my Father and you see me no more. He'll reprove them of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. Who's the prince of this world? Satan, exactly. Well look at verse number 12. It says, I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. He's saying I have more things to tell you, but you're just not ready. You can't handle it right now. You're going to hear it later. He says, howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth. What he's saying is that they're going to know more later on when they're indwelled by the Holy Spirit after the Lord Jesus Christ, death, burial, and resurrection. They will know more. Which means that we know more than they knew at that time. We have the whole Bible, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, and it says, howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, has 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. Now this is an often misunderstood verse as well. Because when he says he will not speak of himself, some people misunderstand that and they think that that means that he won't talk about himself. Well of course he will talk about himself because if he's going to teach us all things, that means he would also teach us things regarding himself. If he's going to preach the Word of God in our hearts, he's going to use scriptures that talk about himself. When the Bible says that he shall not speak of himself, what it's saying is that he is not the source of what he is saying because it says, whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. Do you see that? So he is not the source of the words. He is basically taking of the Lord Jesus Christ and showing unto us. You say, I don't understand. Well the Bible says in John 1.1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And then later it says, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. In 1 John 5.7 it says, for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. So what we ascertain from that is that Jesus is the Word, right? Because Jesus was the Word made flesh. That's why when Jesus Christ comes back on a white horse in Revelation 19, it says that he had a name called the Word of God. He also had a name called Faithful and True. And then in the next passage he says, these words are faithful and true. And then he says these sayings are true and faithful because Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. So when the Bible says that the Holy Spirit will take of mine, Jesus saying he's going to take of mine and show it unto you, he's saying that the Holy Spirit is going to speak things that come from the Word of God. And what that means is that the Holy Spirit is not going around telling us things that are not in the Word of God. You see what I mean? He's not going to speak of himself. He doesn't bring us a new revelation outside of what is in the Word, the Word of God. That's why I don't like it when people say this, oh the Holy Spirit told me don't buy that car. He's not going to tell you that because he will not speak of himself. He doesn't just come up with new things just for you to talk to you personally. You know the Holy Spirit just told me X, Y, and Z. You know what? Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar. You need to be careful just throwing around the Holy Spirit. That is your imagination when you say the Holy Spirit said X, Y, and Z. Unless you can show me in the Bible. Now if I were about to make a decision where I was putting something in the place of God as being the main priority of my life and I said, you know what, the Holy Spirit just told me, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Now that would be legitimate because the Holy Spirit's going to tell you that all day long. But if I just say, you know the Holy Spirit told me, Steve, don't do this. This isn't the right timing. That is not legitimate because I believe if you read this passage you'll see the Holy Spirit is bringing into remembrance the words of Jesus, the words of truth, the words of the Bible itself. And so this movement where people are just constantly saying, the Holy Spirit told me this, the Holy Spirit told me this, or these revelations that are outside of the Bible. Look, isn't this enough for you? This is a long book. Read the whole thing and then come back and talk to me. And then I'll tell you to read it five more times. And then when you come back and talk to me I'll tell you to read it 50 times. And instead of worrying about these feelings and revelations and this voice that you heard, you know, why don't you just read the book? Because this is a more sure word of prophecy than anything that could be a figment of your imagination. You see, the Mormons will tell you the same thing. You know, they'll tell you, oh, I had a burning in the bosom, I know what I believe is right. What they believe is going to take them straight to hell, my friend. It's a false doctrine. And though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, then that which ye have received, let him be a curse. That's why we need to trust the Bible. That's why we need to trust the Word of God. Who so trusteth in his own heart is a fool. And that's what happens when you say, oh, the Holy Spirit is speaking to me. If he's speaking through the Word, you're right on. But if he's saying stuff that's not from the Word, that's not from Jesus, you know, he doesn't speak of himself. Why is this in the Bible? To warn us of that very thing. And so the Bible tells us he'll not speak of himself, meaning that he will not just say things that are outside of what the Lord Jesus Christ has given him or the Father has given him as a message. It says, but whatsoever he shall hear, let these words sink down into your ears, my friend. Pay attention to this. Whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. So he's a repeater, isn't he? What he hears from the Father, what he hears from the Lord Jesus Christ, that shall he speak. And he says in the next verse, and he says he shall show you things to come, verse 14, he shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. What does it mean, he'll receive of mine? It says he's going to receive the Word. He's going to receive the Word of God, and he's going to show us the Word of God, and what's he going to glorify? The Word of God, Jesus Christ. And it says in verse 14, he shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine, therefore said I that he shall take of mine and shall show it unto you. Now go to Romans chapter number 8, Romans 8. Let's see a little more about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now so far, a quick review as we're going to Romans 8. We've learned that the Holy Spirit indwells who, according to John 7? He that believeth on Christ is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, right? And what is his ministry? What is he doing? Well, he's bringing the Word of God to our remembrance. He's taking things from the Word of God and showing them to us. He is also teaching us all things. And that's a pretty strong statement there. He's there to teach us all things, and the Bible says elsewhere, he's there to guide us into all truth. So the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. He guides us into all truth. He teaches us all things. He brings us to remembrance of things that we need from the Word of God. Now look what Romans 8 says, because I want to show you next that the Holy Spirit's indwelling is permanent. It's not temporary. It is permanent. Look what the Bible says in Romans chapter 8 verse 8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God, but ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now that's a big if, because it says if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. So is it possible to be a child of God and not to have the Spirit of Christ, according to that verse? No. He says if you're a child of God, he says you have the Spirit of Christ. You are in the Spirit. You have the Spirit of God. Now a lot of false religions will teach the Holy Spirit is something that comes later after salvation. Maybe in some kind of a service with the laying on of hands or some kind of an experience that takes place later. We'll get into that a little bit later in the sermon, but let me say this. The Holy Spirit's indwelling is for every single believer, and if a person is not indwelled by the Holy Spirit, that just means that there are none of his. They are not saved. They are not in the family. They are not a child of God, because it says at the end of verse 9, now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, notice how the Spirit of God being in you is synonymous with Christ being in you. Another proof of his deity. The body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. So what the Bible is teaching here is that if we're saved, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. Our spirit is also regenerated. Our soul is saved, but has our body been regenerated? Has our body been saved? No, our body is still dead, isn't it? That's why when a person gets saved, there is no physical change about their body, is there? When a person is very ill and they have a lot of physical problems with their body, the moment that that person gets saved, is their body just completely healed, completely repaired, completely glorified? No. The body stays the same. The flesh stays the same. Which is why after a person gets saved, it is quite possible for them to continue living a sinful life, isn't it? Why? Because the flesh is not saved. The flesh is unregenerate. The body is dead. The Spirit's alive. The soul's been saved. The Spirit has been quickened and regenerated, but the body is still dead. That's why Paul said, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He's saying, you know, if we walk in the flesh, we're going to fulfill the lust of the flesh. If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Look down if you would there. It says in verse 10, again, if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin. So our body is still dead. But the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. So based on that verse, is anybody who does not have the Holy Spirit of God living inside them going to be quickened or resurrected? No. The Bible says that if we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, then we shall also have our mortal bodies be quickened. Our mortal bodies will be brought back to life or raised again from the dead. Now, that is future, isn't it? That's what's called the first resurrection. That's when the trumpet sounds, correct? When that trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ shall rise first. Every person who had been indwelled by the Holy Spirit, the Bible teaches, will be resurrected at that time, will be brought back to life at that time. That's what that's speaking of. Let's keep reading. It says that he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Now jump down if you would to verse 21. The Bible reads, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, verse 23, and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our bodies. So again, it's reiterated here that although we have the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit, our whole body has not yet been regenerated. Only the soul and the Spirit have been quickened. Our body is still unregenerated. He said we're waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body, the salvation of our body. So soul and Spirit are saved when you believe on Christ. The body is not yet changed or glorified or resurrected until the trumpet of the Jubilee will sound, which is why he said the glorious liberty of the children of God. The trumpet of Jubilee will sound, liberty will be proclaimed, the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. If you would, go to Ephesians chapter 4. So the Bible used the term in Romans 8 that the Holy Spirit was the firstfruits of our salvation. You know, our salvation will really be complete at the resurrection when body, soul, and Spirit are all regenerated, are all brought into conformity of the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. This time we have the firstfruits of the Spirit. Now the Bible uses another word besides the firstfruits, it uses the word the earnest of our salvation, the earnest of the Spirit. Now you say, what's the earnest? Is that a guy's name? The earnest, now earnest does mean serious, but also earnest means a down payment. Now you can see where those two words come from the same source because earnest, if someone is very earnest, it means that they're serious. Well, when you put down a down payment, what are you saying? You know, I'm serious about this, okay? Now the most common usage for the word earnest in our modern vernacular is when you're buying a house. You know, who's ever bought a house where you put down earnest money? And they was called that, several people. And this is what it is, when you put in an offer on a house, sometimes people might put in an offer and then they accept that offer and they're like, oh I changed my mind. You're like, what? You know, after you've sat there and negotiated. The earnest money is some money that you put down to show that you're serious and you say, you know what? I'm going to offer you $200,000 for this house, I'm also going to put down $5,000 in earnest money, showing that I'm serious about this. Just to put some money on the table to let you know that I'm not just playing games here, I'm not just throwing a number out there, I'm serious about buying this house for $200,000 and so I'm going to put $5,000 on the table as earnest money or a down payment. That's what the Bible refers to as the Holy Spirit, basically a down payment on our salvation. Basically the evidence that we really will spend eternity in heaven, the evidence that our bodies will be glorified and that our bodies will be changed and resurrected is the fact that He's already done so for our spirit. That is the down payment, that is the earnest, that is the first fruits of our redemption. Look if you would at Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30 and the Bible reads, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed, and how long are we sealed for? Unto the day of redemption. Look at chapter 1, just a few pages back in your Bible, Ephesians chapter 1. The Bible reads, in whom ye also trusted, again, what is salvation? Is it turning over a new leaf? Is it living a good life? Is it getting baptized? Is it joining a church? No, He said, in whom also ye trust it. He's trusting the Lord Jesus Christ, putting your faith on Christ. He says, after that ye heard the word of truth. You can't believe without hearing the word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. He says, in whom also ye 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. And look what it says in verse 14, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory. So basically the Lord Jesus Christ purchased us with his blood when he died for us on the cross. And he put down the earnest by sealing us with the Holy Spirit, by indwelling us with the Holy Spirit, and he will pay the rest of the inheritance someday when we're resurrected Because why? We will then inherit all things. We will then have a mansion in glory. We will then be joint heirs with Christ. Then we will inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the beginning of the world, the Bible says. He says, you will inherit the kingdom of God, but the down payment or the earnest, the thing that he gives us up front, is he gives us the earnest of the Spirit. He gives us the first fruits of our redemption, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of God dwelling in us. That's a pretty serious earnest, my friend, that's a pretty major thing. And you say, what's the big deal about being indwelled by the Holy Spirit? Well to somebody who doesn't read their Bible and doesn't go to church, it's probably not a big deal. But you know what, when you are a Bible reading Christian and you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, that is the most precious thing that you have because it's what allows you every time you open the Bible to learn and to understand and to see things and to see the unsearchable riches of Christ. Let me tell you something, wisdom is more valuable than gold. Knowledge is more valuable than rubies and silver and precious stones. Understanding, wisdom, knowledge are the most important things, they're the principle thing and you can't have access to that without the Holy Spirit guiding you. An unsaved man picks up this book and it means nothing to him. They can read it a hundred times and they are ever learning and never able to come into the knowledge of the truth because they're not a believer, because they're not saved, because the Holy Spirit does not live inside. But thanks be to God, we have this teacher, we have this comforter, we have this anointing that will guide us into all truth where we can learn whatever the answer, whatever the question you're looking for, whatever it is that confuses you about the Bible, whatever it is that you'd like to know about how to live your life, if you get on your knees and pray and if you open the Word and search the Scriptures daily, you will be answered. Ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you. You can learn whatever you want. The world, they don't even know what, they don't know what this world even means. I mean if I could put it to you this way, what if we had a box and in one box we had a million dollars in cash and in another box we had the answers to all the mysteries of the universe and the answers to every question that mankind has ever asked. Which box would you open? Well in the box over here basically you'd have a King James Bible and a Holy Spirit inside your chest and there you go, you have it. Who's got it with you today? Who's got the Holy Spirit living inside you and the Bible in your hand? You have it. I want the million dollars, you're a fool because the Word of God is more precious than gold. He said more desirable are they than gold, more than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey of the honeycomb. God's Word is a treasure that is more valuable than gold, silver, precious stones, and let me tell you something, it is a completely sealed, locked off book without the Holy Spirit there to guide and direct and to open it up to you. Look if you would at 2 Corinthians, I'm sorry, did we look at Ephesians 1? Let's finish it. He says, the Spirit of promise, look at verse 14 of Ephesians 1, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession under the praise of His glory. 2 Corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians chapter 1, a few pages to the left in your Bible, and look at verse 22. The Bible says, who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Go to chapter 5 verse 5. It says in 2 Corinthians 5, 5, now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. So you can see this is coming up in Scripture repeatedly, isn't it? It's something that God wants us to know and to understand. That's why he keeps bringing it up. And the last time he mentions it is in Ephesians 4.30, you don't have to turn there, we already read it. He said, you're sealed unto the day of redemption. Don't tell me you're going to lose your salvation. Don't tell me that God is one of these looky-loo home buyers who put, you know, put, oh I changed my mind. When he puts down the earnest, when he purchased you, he said that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He's not going to back out of this deal. He doesn't seal you with the Spirit until the time that you mess up. He didn't say you're sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise until you commit a really bad sin. You're sealed with the Spirit of promise until you backside, no, he said you're sealed until the day of redemption and he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. You are saved, you are sealed, you are secure, you have everlasting life, you shall not come into condemnation but are passed from death unto life. If you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, have you trusted, have you heard the word and believed it? You're saved. Ah, you didn't get baptized, you're saved. Oh, you didn't join the church, you're saved. Oh, you didn't turn away from all your sins, you're saved. I didn't turn away from all my sins either because that is impossible because I'm living in the flesh, because I only have the first fruits of the Spirit, but I am still a sinner in the flesh, but thanks be to God someday the flesh will be changed in a moment in twinkling of an eye and I will never sin again. But at this time, we dwell in this body of death. And there's only one thing you have to do to be indwelled by the Spirit and that's to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and then you're sealed unto the day of redemption. Then he'll guide you into all truth, then he will teach you of all things, then he will bring to remembrance all things that the Lord Jesus Christ spake. Turn if you would to John 20. Let's look at when the indwelling of the Spirit first came about. Because remember in John chapter 7 the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied that this would take place when he was glorified, right? He said in the future, when I'm glorified, he said that he that believeth on me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Remember the song when you were a kid? You grew up in San Diego school and remember the song, I've got a river of life flowing out of me. Put up your hand if you know it. Man alive. You know, you just assume that everybody grew up with these songs. That a lot of people didn't grow up Baptist. You know, I thank God to be pastoring a church where everybody didn't grow up Baptist. That means we're reaching people. You know, that means we're getting people brought in from, you know, we're not just a place where we can shuffle around all the people who have been an independent Baptist their whole life. Because if you're an independent fundamentalist, you probably grew up singing that song, okay? And that's what it's coming from is this scripture, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water and he said that spake he of the spirit that would be given unto those that believe on him when he's glorified. Well look at when that takes place. It says in John chapter 20 verse 19. This is after Jesus has died, been buried, and risen again. He says in verse 19, then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them, peace be unto you. And when he had so said he showed unto them his hands and his side, then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them, again, peace be unto you as my Father had sent me, even so send I you. Look at verse 22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost. Do you see that? He breathed on them and said, receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained. So this right here is where the believers are first indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Now you say, Pastor Anderson, I'm not sure if that's really the indwelling of the Holy Spirit there. Perhaps that was something else, you know, the fullness of the Holy Spirit or the power of the Holy Spirit upon them. Well go to Acts 1, the next page there in your Bible should be the book of Acts, because in John chapter 20 when they're in the upper room and Jesus has just risen from the dead, he has just risen from the dead. He breathes on them and says, receive ye the Holy Ghost. You say, why did he breathe on them? Well, the word spirit comes from the word breath, because think about this, respiration. What is respiration? What are you doing when you're respiring? You're breathing, right? So do you see how spirit, respire, inspire, expire? What does it mean when someone expires? It means that they breathe their last breath. They give up the ghost, as the Bible calls it. And think about the word ghost is similar to our word gust, like a gust of air, right? These words are all related, okay, respiration, a gust of air. So the Holy Spirit is truly the breath of God, okay? And here, Jesus breathes on them and says, receive ye the Holy Ghost. So let me ask you this, when did the disciples, according to the Bible, receive the Holy Spirit in that upper room, right? Now go to Acts 1. Acts 1, this is later. It says in Acts 1 verse 4, and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me. For drawn truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Now, had they at this time been baptized by the Holy Ghost? No. Had they received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Yes, because they received that in the upper room. But there was something else that they were supposed to wait for in Acts chapter 1. Do you see how these are two separate things? In John 20, they received the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit dwelling in them is something that's going to indwell every believer. No matter how backslidden, no matter how sinful, he said, I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee. I will come to you. I will not leave you comfortless. He will abide in you forever, he said. You are sealed under the day of redemption, right? So every believer is automatically, listen now, when you believe on Christ, you're automatically indwelled by the Holy Spirit. That's what we see in John 20. Now that he's glorified, that begins and he breeds on them and says, receive the Holy Ghost. And from that time forward, believers were indwelled by the Spirit in the sense that we see in Romans 8, Ephesians 4, etc, etc. But in Acts 1, he's telling them to wait for something else, is he not? He says, wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel? And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power, watch verse 8, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. Now is that within you? See how this is something different? He says, ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Now, in chapter 2, we see the fulfillment of this. It says in Acts chapter 2 verse 1, 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 a 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, and there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. I won't read the whole passage for sake of time, but let me say this. This is not the jibber jabbering so-called tongue speaking of the charismatic movement. He goes on to explain this is men speaking in foreign languages, even lists 17 languages that they spake in, and he lists all the places where people had come from. At the day of Pentecost, there were devout men gathered there from every nation under heaven, and God wanted these men to hear the Word preached, and He wanted them to hear the news about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ so that they could take it back into all their nations that they had come from. And so he allowed a miracle to take place where 120 members of that early church in chapter 1, that number is given, 120 members of that early church are going to be able to speak in various languages in order to get various people saved and to preach the truth to them, and to preach unto them the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ. Now all of these people were not necessarily unsaved, because a lot of them had just not been baptized, because the Bible says that there were devout men from all throughout the world. Obviously that means that they believed the Bible, they believed the Word of God. Peter preaches to the men of Jerusalem who were unsaved, remember? The group he's preaching to, they had rejected Christ, they were unsaved. He preached the Word, many of them got saved and baptized, but then there were also a lot of devout men from all over the world, you know, they heard the Word preached because they were already saved, it resonated with them, because obviously, look, people were saved in the Old Testament, weren't they? Don't tell me the whole Old Testament went to hell, okay? They were saved, obviously, and that's a whole other sermon of itself. But anyway, there are people who have a lot of weird doctrine, but let me tell you this. This was a miraculous event where men were allowed to speak in foreign languages that they had not studied, right? Obviously, even though they had not studied them, they were able to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them other tongues. But the main thing about it, go to Acts chapter 4, the main thing I want you to see, it's not necessarily the main thing that they were speaking in a foreign language. The main thing is that they were speaking the Word of God and people were being saved. That was the result of them having the Holy Ghost upon them, is that they spake God's Word and people were saved. Look at Acts chapter 4, and let me show you the same thing in verse 31. The Bible says, when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the Word of God with boldness. So what was the evidence of being filled with the Holy Ghost? They spake the Word of God with boldness. What about when they were filled with the Holy Ghost in Acts chapter 2? They preached the Word of God unto the unsaved. And notice, God equates being filled with the Holy Ghost and having the Holy Ghost upon you if you compare chapters 1 and chapter 2 of the book of Acts. Now, throughout the Old Testament, and this is an important doctrine, throughout the Old Testament, people had the Holy Spirit come upon them or the Holy Ghost come upon them, did they not? I mean, good night, we could go through all the examples, let me give you just a few. The Bible says of Othniel the son of Kenaz, the first judge in the book of Judges, it says the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel and went out to war and the Lord delivered Cushan Rishtathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand and his hand prevailed against Cushan Rishtathaim. It says of Gideon, but the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he blew a trumpet and He by easier was gathered after him. Chapter 11 of Judges, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. In Judges 13, 14, 15, Samson had the Spirit of the Lord come upon him repeatedly and he fought battles. In 1 Samuel chapter 10, the Bible begins to speak of the Spirit of God coming upon Saul and King Saul having the Holy Spirit's power upon him. Later on when Saul sins, the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. Now let me ask this, are we talking about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Didn't happen until after the resurrection, did it? That's a New Testament phenomenon. But in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit still existed, not in the sense of indwelling the believer to guide into all truth, to open the Scriptures in that way, no? But He was upon them in mighty power temporarily and conditionally, right? Because when Saul began to live a life of sin, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him. And if you remember that the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. We also see not only the Spirit of God upon man to fight great physical battles, but we also see great preaching done in the power of the Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament. For example, in Isaiah 61, Isaiah said, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. Ezekiel said in chapter 11 that the Spirit of the Lord fell upon him and said, speak! Thus saith the Lord, and he begins to preach. Micah 3.8 said, but truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord and of judgment and of might to declare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. So don't you see there that being filled with the Spirit, filled with power, the Spirit of the Lord upon you is both Old Testament and New Testament? So what I'm trying to show you is that in the New Testament, God did not replace the Holy Ghost upon you with the Holy Spirit in you. He added. He added the indwelling. But what we see in the Old Testament of the Holy Spirit coming upon a man, or a woman for that matter, the Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth. Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit in Luke chapter 1 and obviously that was before the birth of Christ, before any of the New Testament had been instituted with the death of the testator, Jesus Christ. And so we see that throughout the Old Testament, the young men and the maidens, the men and women could be not indwelled by the Holy Spirit, but have the Holy Ghost come upon them, which is also known as being filled with the Spirit. Does everybody understand that? So there are two different things. And if we study the Old Testament, we can't throw out passages that talk about the Spirit departing because we need to understand he's not talking about the indwelling. The indwelling is not going to depart from you. You're sealed to the day of redemption, but let me tell you something. You may not continue to have the Holy Ghost upon you and you dead sure will not be filled with the Holy Spirit when you begin to live a life of sin like Saul did. And look, I'll prove it to you. He tells us in Ephesians itself in chapter 1 and chapter 4 that we're sealed by the Holy Spirit under the day of redemption if we've believed, if we've trusted, but then he turns around and says in chapter 5, be filled with the Spirit. And he says if you're drunk with wine, you're not filled with the Spirit. So if a believer becomes drunk, yeah, they're still indwelled, but are they filled by the Spirit? Do they have the power of Christ upon them? Do they have the power of the Holy Ghost upon them? No. And so if you have a preacher who's living in sin, he's going to preach a message, he's going to fall flat. Why? Because the Holy Ghost is not upon him. You live in sin, you're not walking with God, you go out soul winning, nobody's being saved, nobody's responding. You know why? Because you're filled with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost's power is not upon you. I didn't say you're not indwelled by the Spirit. But he said wait for the promise of God. He says wait until you're endued with power from on high, Luke 24. He said you'll receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. Micah said I'm filled with power to preach against sin. I'm filled with power to show Israel their sins. He's saying there that a powerful preaching and powerful soul winning and a powerful life comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. And it's not enough to just be indwelled by the Spirit, that's enough to get you to heaven. That's enough to get you resurrected. But it's not enough to allow you to preach a powerful sermon. It's not enough to allow you to do effective soul winning. You must be filled with the Holy Ghost. He said be not drunk with wine, we're in his excess, but be filled with the Spirit. Singing to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in your heart of the Lord. That tells me when you're drunk, you're not filled with the Spirit. When you're filled with the spirits, plural, and isn't that a little creepy that that's what alcohol is referred to as, spirits, wine and spirits. You know, be not filled with spirits, but be filled with the Spirit. And by the way, when you're singing the world's music, when you're singing music that is put out by sodomites and reprobates and ungodly sinners and whoremongers and whores of Hollywood, when you're singing those songs, you're not filled with the Spirit either. But when you're singing psalms, when you're singing hymns, when you're singing spiritual songs, you're filled with the Spirit of God. That's why we sing songs in church. It's not just tradition. We sing in the midst of the congregation praises unto him. Why? Because we want to start out the sermon filled with the Spirit. Because if you're not filled with the Spirit, you don't want to hear preaching. You don't want to accept the truths that are presented. You don't want somebody to preach and show you your sins, but when you're filled with the Spirit, you're receptive to good preaching. And we want the pastor to be filled with the Spirit so that he can preach in the power of the Holy Spirit. He needs to sing the songs and be filled with the Spirit. And there's so much we could go into on the fullness of the Spirit. I don't want to spend any time on it this morning. I may preach on it tonight, but let me say this. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what I wanted to focus on this morning. But I had to distinguish it and differentiate it from the Holy Ghost upon you or the fullness of the Spirit. What is the significance of the indwelling of the Spirit? That is your comforter. That is your friend. That is your teacher. That is your anointing. And when you go to the Word of God today, this afternoon, or when you go to the Word of God tonight or tomorrow morning, the Holy Spirit is there with you. You have the author of the book sitting beside you in the sense that the Holy Spirit is God, is a member of the Godhead, a member of the three in one. And you have the Spirit of God there to teach you. That should make this the most exciting book on your bookshelf. You need to just quit reading so much of what man has written and get on the Word of God. Okay? Oh, the Spirit's going to speak to me from this book that man wrote. Well, you know, I hope it has a lot of Bible in it, but even then I wouldn't mess with it. I'd just go straight to the source, my friend. And people often say, well, what's the difference between preaching and reading a book that man wrote? You know what the difference is? The difference is that preaching is preaching and reading a book that man wrote is reading a book that man wrote and God told us to listen to preaching and He didn't tell us to read a bunch of books that man wrote. Any questions? And people say, well, what's the difference between a man and woman who live together and have kids and they're not married and a man and woman who live together and have kids and they are married? What's the difference? It looks the same to me. Well, the difference is that God told us to do the one and He told us not to do the other. You know? And it's like, you sit there and instead of reading the Bible you want to read what man wrote. Why do you like man better than you like God? Why do you choose man over God? And look, you say, well, preaching is the same thing, it's just in an audible format. But it's in an audible format. And that's what God told us to do. God chose to manifest His word through preaching. He didn't choose to manifest it through commentaries. And so don't sit there and say it's the same thing. Well, you can keep saying it's the same thing all day long, but it's not the same thing. It is two different things. Preaching is preaching and books are books. And nowhere do you find God admonishing us to read a bunch of man-made books. He tells us to read the Bible, you know? You say, is it a sin to read man-made books? No, it's not a sin because God never forbade it, but you know what, I don't go through life just doing everything that God didn't forbid me. I'm just going to do it. As long as God didn't forbid me, I'm going to do it. You know, I want to do what He told me to do. And by the time I listen to the preaching of God's word, audibly, and by the time I read the word of God, and by the time I fulfill all the other commandments of God, I just don't have time for Charles Spurgeon, my friend. I don't have time for Matthew Henry. I don't have time for all these guys because I'm too busy reading the Bible. I'm too busy listening to preaching in my eardrum because that's what God ordained preaching. Because you know what? Look, when you read the book written by man, it doesn't start screaming at you. What do you mean, amen? It would be great if it did. But let me tell you something. But you know what, when you listen to preaching, you've got a leather-lung preacher yelling at you in the power of the Holy Ghost. That's different. Say what you want, it's different. It's different. It's church. Just like, you know what, it's different being in church and watching it online or listening to it over the airwaves. What's the difference? It's different. Because when you're here, I mean listen to me, it's different. When you're here, where two or three are gathered together, there's Jesus in the midst, right? Now does that necessarily go over broadband? That presence of the Spirit, you know? Now look, I believe that God's Word being preached over the internet, yeah, people can hear that preaching and it does have power and the Spirit's there, but you know what? I think it's different being here. I think you're comparing apples with oranges. You know, I'm not saying it's bad, but I'm telling you it's better to be here. Because when you're here assembled with God's people, there's power. When you're in that room in Acts chapter 2 where they're all assembled together in one place with the doors shut, you know what? When you're in that room and there comes the power of God there in the baptism of the Holy Ghost, hey, when you're not in that room, hearing about it's not the same as being there. And so what I'm trying to say is that we need to understand the significance and the blessing of being indwelled by the Holy Spirit. What an exciting thing to be able to open the Bible and to read it and for God to speak to you. For God to speak to your heart, specifically a living, breathing document, my friend, the Word of God that speaks to you through the Holy Spirit indwelling you. That's amazing. That just makes me want to read my Bible. It should make you want to read your Bible. You know, it's the opposite of what the Roman Catholics teach. Oh, don't read the Bible, you can't interpret the Bible, you need the Holy Spirit, you know, or the Holy Spirit, good night, I wish they'd say that. They say you need, although Catholics do need the Holy Spirit because they don't have him, because they don't believe on him, but he says, you know, you need the priest, he's going to expound it to you. You need the priest, you need the church to interpret it. No, you need not that any man teach you. You need the Spirit of God, which you received when you believed, and if you're saved today, you have the power to understand this book. Are you taking advantage of it? Or is the Spirit just sitting dormantly in your heart, just waiting, waiting to show you something, waiting to teach you something, waiting to bring something to your remembrance. And you say, I go slowly and nothing's coming to mind, nothing's coming to remembrance. It's not even in your heart. I mean, the Spirit's looking for something to bring to your remembrance like you haven't heard anything. You haven't listened to any preaching. You haven't read the Word. And he's, you know, he's looking for something to use and he doesn't have much. Jesus wept, you know, what else, what else can I say? That's the only verse you know. He keeps, he keeps bringing John 3.16 back to your mind. It's the only verse you know. But man, the more you read, the Bible says the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Man, the Holy Spirit living inside your heart when you do a lot of Bible reading, he's got a whole arsenal. There's weapons everywhere. It's just like he can pick out the exact right sword for the situation. You know, and Jesus wept sword isn't just coming out of the sheath every five minutes, you know what I mean? Because there's more there. And so I encourage you to be thankful. First of all, thank God today for his Spirit. Thank God for the indwelling of the Spirit. Show him that you appreciate the fact that he didn't leave us comfortless. Show him that you appreciate the fact that we don't have to turn to the bottle. We don't have to turn to rock music to somehow make ourselves feel better. We can actually go to the Spirit and go to the Word and go to the Comforter, the source of all comfort. The God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted in God. That wasn't even in my notes. That came straight from the Holy Spirit, bringing that to remembrance. Oh, Pastor Andrew, did you ever have divine revelation? Hey, that was a revelation right there, my friend. Because it's from the Word of God. He's not going to speak of himself. He's going to show us the Word. And so, love it. Thank God for it. And use it. You know, use that anointing to learn the Word. Let the Spirit teach you and speak to you through the Word. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Father, we thank you so much for the indwelling of your Spirit and we thank you so much for being able to be gathered here with a Spirit-filled congregation, a Spirit-filled preacher, a book that is the Word of the Lord, and a book that is perfect and that you could use to speak to us. Father, I pray that we would all study our Bibles and read and let you teach us what we need to learn, not just going to church, but actually being taught directly from you through Bible reading, and in Jesus' name we pray, amen.