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Help Has Arrived!
John 14:15-18
Skip Heitzig

John 14 (NKJV™)
15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--
17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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20/20: Seeing Truth Clearly

Someone said to me this past week, “Life is hard, but God is good!” We all know it’s true. To live for God in an ungodly world is challenging, sometimes daunting. But God never intended for us to try it alone! He has provided for us a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who is not only at work in the world around us but is very busy working inside of us. Let’s drill down into the promise Jesus gave to His disciples in the upper room about the coming Spirit.

Over 175 million people in the United States need some sort of vision correction. From glasses to contacts and corneal reshaping to corrective surgery, there's no question that seeing clearly improves people's quality of life. But what about our spiritual vision? With so many religious, philosophical, and ideological lenses to look through, how do we find the right lens? In this series, Skip Heitzig brings the core doctrines of Christian faith into clear focus. These are the truths that define who God is, who we are, and the choices that every person has to make.

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Outline

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  1. The Spirit Is an Active Helper (v. 16)

  2. The Spirit Is a Similar Helper (v. 16)

  3. The Spirit Is a Permanent Helper (v. 16)

  4. The Spirit Is a Reliable Helper (v. 17a)

  5. The Spirit Is an Exclusive Helper (v. 17b)

Study Guide

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Connect Group Recap Notes: October 18, 2020
Speaker: Skip Heitzig
Teaching: "Help Has Arrived!"
Text: John 14:15-18

Path

Someone said this past week, "Life is hard, but God is good!" We all know it's true. To live for God in an ungodly world is challenging, sometimes daunting. But God never intended for us to try it alone! He has provided for us a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who is not only at work in the world around us but is very busy working inside of us. In this teaching, Pastor Skip drills down into the promise Jesus gave His disciples in the upper room about the coming Spirit.

  1. The Spirit Is an Active Helper (v. 16)
  2. The Spirit Is a Similar Helper (v. 16)
  3. The Spirit Is a Permanent Helper (v. 16)
  4. The Spirit Is a Reliable Helper (v. 17a)
  5. The Spirit Is an Exclusive Helper (v. 17b)
Points

The Spirit Is an Active Helper (v. 16)
  • Many Christians need help but don't ask for it, unaware they can ask the Holy Spirit.
  • We can't do anything of eternal value without the Holy Spirit's help.
  • Lloyd John Ogilvie said, "Sadly,many Christians settle for two-thirds of God…. The Holy Spirit is some kind of vague force or impersonal power they hear about but do not know intimately."
  • Jesus told the disciples He'd be leaving; they felt helpless. Jesus assured them help was on the way.
  • Out of all the ways the Spirit is described in Scripture, Jesus chose to call Him the Helper, meaning one who comes alongside and assists.
  • The term is associated with a counsel for defense, helping plead a case.
  • Walking and being fruitful in God's kingdom requires royal help—the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit Is a Similar Helper (v. 16)
  • Jesus called the Spirit "another Helper." This means "another of the exact same kind."
  • Jesus was saying there is another person coming who is like Himself—a helper, friend, and counselor.
  • Just as Jesus helped His disciples, so the Holy Spirit helps us: in prayer, in learning about God, and in equipping and empowering us for God's work.
  • We need the Father for external life, Jesus for our eternal life, and the Holy Spirit for our internal life, strength, comfort, and joy.
The Spirit Is a Permanent Helper (v. 16)
  • We have a person who comforts, counsels, and prays for us 24/7, 365 days a year.
  • Yes, we can grieve and quench the Spirit, but He's with us for the long haul.
  • Unlike in the Old Testament, where the Spirit could leave a person (see 1 Samuel 16:14; Psalm 51:11), in the New Testament, He's with us from salvation through eternity.
  • In verse 17, Jesus stated the Spirit dwells with us and will be in us.
  • The Spirit was with us before salvation, calling and convicting us.
  • The Spirit comes in us at the moment of salvation, taking residence in our life.
  • The Spirit is upon us as believers, empowering us to do His work.
  • Instead of asking, "How can I get more of the Holy Spirit?" we should ask, "How can the Holy Spirit get more of me?"
The Spirit Is a Reliable Helper (v. 17a)
  • Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth (Greek alétheia).
  • The Spirit can't lie and will never lead you toward untruth.
  • Thus, a person filled with the Holy Spirit is filled with holiness and truth.
  • The Spirit is comparable to revealed truth—the Bible, the truth that leads to life (see Daniel 10:21; Isaiah 8:19-20).
  • The truth will be a balanced truth, not emphasizing one aspect over something else.
  • We need to get a firm grasp on God's revealed truth, allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate and lead us in a harmonious vision of God's truth.
The Spirit Is an Exclusive Helper (v. 17b)
  • Jesus said that "the world cannot receive" the Spirit, because the unbeliever "neither sees Him nor knows Him" (see also 1 Corinthians 2:14).
  • The Holy Spirit is an exclusive resident of the believer.
  • Much like a TV or radio is needed to pick up signals or waves in the air, the Spirit is God working in people who've received Him.
  • Paul told Christians to be "filled" with the Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18).
  • The idea is to be under the Holy Spirit's influence, connected to His wavelength, hearing from Him, and allowing Him to lead.
  • Christians need the Holy Spirit like a glove needs a hand. A glove can't fulfill its intended purpose until it is filled with what it was designed to work with: a hand.
  • In Ephesians 5:18, to be filled means we need to be constantly filled with the Spirit. Why? Because we leak. We lose sight of the Spirit's will for us.
  • The Holy Spirit comes after us to make us saved, into us to make us sanctified, and upon us to make us supercharged.
Practice

Connect Up: Further discuss the unique roles of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer using the three prepositions explained by Pastor Skip. How is each preposition vital for eternal life with Christ?
  • With—calling and convicting
  • In—saving and sanctifying
  • Upon—equipping and evangelizing
Connect In: How has the Holy Spirit led you in discovering God's truth, whether that's in specific revelation (the Bible) or general revelation (creation)? Has He ever provided comfort or counsel in a difficult situation?

Connect Out: Jesus stated that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (see John 16:8). How can these three things act as a template for evangelism? Consider these points:
  • Calling a person to repent and turn to Christ
  • Highlighting God's righteousness and truth
  • Informing them of future judgment

Detailed Notes

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October 18, 2020
Skip Heitzig
"Help Has Arrived!"
John 14:15-18
  1. Introduction
    1. Many people don't always ask for help when they need it
    2. Many Christians do the same with the Holy Spirit
      1. "The idea of the Holy Spirit held by the average church member is so vague as to be nearly non-existent" —A.W. Tozer
      2. One survey showed that many American Christians are wrong about the Holy Spirit
        1. 56 percent think He is just a divine force, not a personal being
        2. 28 percent think He is not equal with the Father or Jesus
      3. "Sadly, many Christians settle for two-thirds of God" —Lloyd John Ogilvie
    3. We can't do anything of eternal value without the Holy Spirit's help
    4. In John 14, Jesus saw that His disciples were distressed about His leaving, so He told them of the coming Helper, the Holy Spirit, mentioning five traits
  2. The Spirit Is an Active Helper (v. 16)
    1. Four times in this discourse, Jesus said, "When the Helper comes, He will do this"
    2. Jesus called the Spirit a Helper
      1. He could have called Him many other titles from Scripture, among them:
        1. Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (see Isaiah 11:2-3)
        2. Eternal Spirit (see Hebrews 9:14)
        3. Good Spirit (see Nehemiah 9:20)
        4. God (see Acts 5:4)
        5. Lord (see 2 Corinthians 3:17)
        6. Power of the highest (see Luke 1:35)
        7. Spirit of adoption (see Romans 8:15)
        8. Spirit of glory (see 1 Peter 4:14)
      2. Out of all these, Jesus called Him the Helper
        1. This means one who comes alongside to help; an advocate, counselor, encourager (Greek paraklétos)
        2. Also associated with a legal helper or counsel for the defense
    3. We struggle when we don't ask for the Spirit's help
    4. To get into God's kingdom is easy (believe in Jesus), but walking like royalty is hard
  3. The Spirit Is a Similar Helper (v. 16)
    1. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as "another Helper"
      1. Greek has two words for another
        1. Allos means another of exactly the same kind
        2. Heteros means another of a different kind
      2. Jesus used allos to describe the Holy Spirit
        1. He was saying there is another person coming who is like Himself—a Helper
        2. He helped His disciples pray (the Lord's Prayer); the Spirit helps us pray too (see Romans 8:26)
        3. Jesus also helped by instructing His disciples (His various discourses and everyday teachings; see John 14:25); the Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us remember what Jesus said (see v. 26)
    2. We need to turn to the Holy Spirit for help just as the disciples turned to Jesus
    3. We need the Father for external life, Jesus for our eternal life, and the Holy Spirit for our internal life, strength, comfort, and joy
  4. The Spirit Is a Permanent Helper (v. 16)
    1. We have a person who comforts, counsels, and prays for us 24/7, 365 days a year
    2. Yes, we can grieve and quench the Spirit, but He's committed to helping us grow long-term
    3. The Spirit operates differently in the New Testament and church age than He did in the Old Testament
      1. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God came upon individuals for specific reasons and callings
        1. He worked powerfully through them and then would leave, and it could be disconcerting
        2. God's Spirit left King Saul when he disobeyed (see 1 Samuel 16:14)
        3. David prayed that He would not leave him the same way when he sinned (see Psalm 51:11)
      2. In the New Testament, the Spirit is with us from salvation through eternity
        1. Jesus stated the Spirit dwells with us and will be in us (see John 14:17)
        2. The Spirit was with us before salvation, calling and convicting us (see John 16:8)
        3. The Spirit comes in us at the moment of salvation, taking residence in our life (see 1 Corinthians 3:16)
        4. The Spirit is upon us as believers, empowering us to do His work (see Acts 1:8)
    4. Instead of asking, "How can I get more of the Holy Spirit?" we should ask, "How can the Holy Spirit get more of me?"
  5. The Spirit Is a Reliable Helper (v. 17a)
    1. Three times in this section, Jesus called the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of truth" (Greek alétheia)
    2. The Spirit can't lie and will never lead you toward untruth
    3. The Spirit will testify about who Jesus is (see John 15:26)
      1. He reveals the truth (definite article in the Greek)
      2. He reveals specific truth about Christ, aligning with the New Testament
    4. A person filled with the Holy Spirit is filled with holiness and truth
    5. The Spirit's truth is comparable to revealed truth in the Bible
      1. Human truth claims must be compared to God's Word to see if they line up
      2. The Bible is "the Scripture of Truth" (Daniel 10:21)
        1. We should seek God's truth in His Word to combat false teaching and claims (see Isaiah 8:19-20)
        2. Like the Bereans, we should compare what we hear to the Scriptures (see Acts 17:11)
      3. The truth will be a balanced truth, considering all of Scripture
        1. Balanced truth does not emphasize one truth over other truths
        2. Hermeneutic principles: texts taken in context and unity of Scripture
        3. Scriptural harmony is achieved by playing all strings of truth, not just one
  6. The Spirit Is an Exclusive Helper (v. 17b)
    1. Not everyone receives the Spirit's help
      1. Jesus said that "the world cannot receive" the Spirit
      2. The unbeliever "neither sees Him nor knows Him"
    2. The Holy Spirit is an exclusive helper to the believer
      1. The Spirit hooks you up to God's Wi-Fi, enabling you to receive and understand the truth
      2. 1 Corinthians 2:14
      3. Paul told Christians to be "filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18), not wine
        1. The point is control
        2. The goal is to be under the Holy Spirit's influence, not the world's
        3. Being filled with the Holy Spirit will impact every area of your life
      4. Christians need the Holy Spirit like a glove needs a hand
      5. A glove can't fulfill its intended purpose until it is filled with what it was designed to work with: a hand
      6. We need to constantly keep being filled with the Spirit
        1. Why? Because we leak
        2. There is one baptism into Christ in the Spirit, but we need to be filled many times
    3. The Holy Spirit comes after us to make us saved, into us to make us sanctified, and upon us to make us supercharged
Figures referenced: Thomas Edison, Lloyd John Ogilvie, Charles H. Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer

Greek words: alétheia, allos, heteros, paraklétos

Cross references: 1 Samuel 16:14; Nehemiah 9:20; Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 8:19-20; 11:2-3; Daniel 10:21; Luke 1:35; John 14:25-26; 15:26; 16:8; Acts 1:8; 5:4; 17:11; Romans 8:15, 26; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 5:18; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 4:14

Topic: the Holy Spirit

Keywords: the Bible, filled, help, Helper, salvation, Scripture, truth

Transcript

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Help Has Arrived! - John 14:15-18 - Skip Heitzig

[CHATTER]

God isn't really something to worship.

He's just waiting to destroy all of us.

I guess there's a God out there somewhere.

I hope there is a God.

God isn't really something to worship.

God, Allah, Buddha.

God is everywhere.

Morning. We have spaced you out a little bit more today. We want to go above and beyond to make sure everybody's safe and comfortable during the season, and yet we still get to meet together. Aren't we grateful for that?

A quick word about Operation Christmas Child. So the time of the year that we have, for decades, supported the collecting of gifts to give to children around the world. And I know COVID and we might tend to think, well, it's COVID-19 so we're just going to get a whole lot less gifts for kids around the world.

The way we look at it, the way I'm thinking about it is this is the time of the year where children around the globe are more desperate than ever before and I'd love to see many more gifts come in then less because of that. This is an opportunity in child evangelism that has been unparalleled, where we have seen millions of children come to know Christ around the world. So during this time, to let them know that God loves them, that people are thinking about them is something great, and just wanted to underscore that. Thank you for all the volunteers with OCC.

Now, would you turn in your Bibles, please, to the New Testament book of John, John chapter 14. John chapter 14. We glanced at it a couple of weeks ago when we were in John 16. We kind of read up to that text, but we're going to look at John chapter 14, a few verses out of there.

I distinctly remember the summer of 1965. I was a little kid and I was in my parents backyard. It was August and the song of the summer came over the radio, "Help. I need somebody. Help. Not just anybody. Help. You know I need someone. [GUITAR STRUMMING] Help."

I've always needed help. People that know me go, uh-huh. I needed help when I was a baby. I needed help to walk when I was a toddler. I needed help learning how to ride a bicycle. I needed help to figure out how to swim. My oldest brother and my dad helped me in that category.

I needed help in school. There were certain subjects that I was naturally good at, but many subjects I needed extra help to understand. I needed help to learn how to drive. It's called driver's ed. And to drive a car on the freeway in Southern California, believe me, takes help. I needed help in sports. Coaches would give me techniques to make my sporting experience in whatever it was a better experience.

So I've always needed help, but I haven't always been good at asking for help. My dad was sort of a self-made man, figured things out on his own, and I guess I inherited that from him. And when I should have asked for help, I just sort of weathered it on my own, and it has not served me well.

A classic example from my own life is when I was in grade school and I had forgotten an assignment paper at home. And so the class started and the teacher asked for the assignment papers, and it dawned on me that I had left mine at home. So the easy thing to do is go and say, I left it at home, go to the principal's office, call my parents, ask them for help. They would have driven it down.

Oh no, what I did is I decided at break, I would leave the school and walk home to get my paper, 4 and 1/2 miles one way, 4 and 1/2 miles back. So this is me not asking for help. I'm walking, walking, walking. The school calls my parents because now I'm missing in class and they think he ran away or he got abducted or something. So my dad is in his car looking for me, and he found me on my walk. And he picked me up and he held up my paper and he said, all you needed to do is call and ask for help.

Now, my experience as a child, sadly, is how many Christians live their Christian experience. Help is available, but they don't always ask for help. Many believers are unaware that there is a Helper, the Holy Spirit, that they can ask for help. In fact, many believers don't think much about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives. A.W. Tozer said, "The idea of the Holy Spirit to the average church member is so vague as to be nonexistent."

I was reading an article this week in a source called The Federalist. And it was about what Christians believe in America. These articles always fascinate me, but especially this one because the title grabbed my attention. The title of the article was "Survey Finds Most American Christians are Actually Heretics." I go, I've got to read that article.

It basically began by saying, if you were to give American Christians a theology test, the only way they would pass it is if God grades on a curve. And it went on to talk about different beliefs that evangelical Christians have in America. And one of the things in the article that got my attention for this particular message is it said, "Most evangelical Christians say the Holy Spirit is a divine force or a symbol of God's power or presence."

Think about that. He's not a person to many evangelical Christians. He's just a symbol of God's power or presence. Last time I checked, symbols don't do much. Symbols are just there for you to look at and appreciate their symbolism. They don't actually do any work.

The Holy Spirit is far more than a symbol of God's power and God's presence. Truth is we couldn't do anything of an eternal value without the Holy Spirit's help. John Lloyd Ogilvie wrote these words, "Sadly, many Christians settle for 2/3 of God. God the Father is way up there somewhere, aloof and apart from their daily lives. Christ is out there somewhere between them and the Father. The Holy Spirit is some kind of vague force or impersonal power that they hear about but they do not know intimately."

It is my sincere hope and prayer that we will get to know the Holy Spirit more intimately. The truth is you need help. The good news is help has arrived. And we find that in the promise of Jesus and John 14, beginning in verse 15, where he said to his disciples in that upper room, "If you love me, keep My commandments.

And I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you."

Let's remind ourselves of the emotional state of the disciples at this moment. They're at the Last Supper. Throughout the evening in these chapters, Jesus has told them that He is leaving them. They are not too stoked about that. They're pretty depressed about that idea. They're starting to become unraveled emotionally.

They're starting to feel helpless. And Jesus, of course, knows that and makes, throughout the evening in these chapters, several promises of Someone who is coming to help them. What I want to show you in the verses that we just read, I want to drill down in them and I want to show you a five-fold function of the Holy Spirit in helping or assisting the believer, five traits.

First of all, the Spirit is an active helper. Now, I counted four times in this upper room discourse-- this last supper message that Jesus gives his disciples-- four times our Lord refers to the Person of the Holy Spirit by the title Helper. He's going to be a helper.

When the Helper comes, then the Helper will do this. Four times he calls him the helper. It is the designated term that Jesus chose to describe the Holy Spirit. Of course, he could have used many other terms, for He is given different titles throughout the Scripture.

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of counsel, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of might, the Spirit of knowledge. That's in Isaiah chapter 11. Jesus could have called him the Eternal Spirit, like in Hebrews chapter 9. The Holy Spirit is called God in Acts chapter 5, verse 4. He is referred to as the Good Spirit in Nehemiah chapter 9.

He is called the Lord by Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. He is designated as the Power of the Highest, Luke chapter 1. Paul again calls him the Spirit of Adoption, Romans chapter 8. And Peter gives him the title the Spirit of Glory in 1 Peter Chapter 4. None of those Jesus uses. He calls him the Helper, the Helper.

Now, the word "helper" is the Greek word paracleta. Some of you are familiar with the term paraclete because of the churches you grew up in. It's a term that was thrown around. Parakletos is a Greek word that means somebody who is called alongside to help, or one who contributes their assistance, a helper. It can be translated advocate, counselor, comforter, exhorter, intercessor, encourager, or in this case helper.

Oftentimes in ancient times, it was associated with the legal profession, the law courts. It would refer to somebody who was a counsel for the defense, or somebody who would help you plead your case, help you win your case. I love how the amplified Bible renders it in this verse. It says, "One called to stand constantly by us and who is ready to take part in everything in which His help is needed."

He is the helper. God knows you need all the help you can get, so He has provided for you and for me a Helper. Now, we don't always know that. We are often like the young Skip Heitzig walking home for his assignment paper. All we have to do is ask for help because there is a Helper available.

But do you ever feel, or have you ever felt, that you're at a breaking point, that if life throws you one more curveball in 2020, that's it? Or do you ever feel like the temptations in your life are too much, the trials are just so accumulating? Do you ever feel the pressure is too intense or sin is too powerful?

This is where the Helper comes in.

One of my all time favorite quotes of the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Christian is written by a guy named Tim Downs. Tim Downs wrote this, "Watches, cars, and Christians can all look chromed and shiny. But watches don't tick, cars don't go, and Christians don't make a difference without insides." And then he says, "For a Christian, that's the Holy Spirit."

I've watched Christians struggle over the years. As a pastor, I've seen many a Christian marriage struggle. I've watched people struggle in choices that they make, addictions that they suffer or struggle with. I've seen them deal with purity issues and struggle in that area.

What's going on? Well, we're in a kingdom. It's called the Kingdom of God. Now, to get into this kingdom is pretty easy, pretty straightforward. All you need to do is believe in Jesus Christ and the Bible says you are adopted into the royal family. That's all it takes.

To get into the kingdom is easy, but to walk like royalty takes help. To walk as a son or daughter of the King takes the Helper, and Jesus said help is on the way. Now, would you like to know what kind of help He'll give you? Let's examine that. Let's drill down a little more.

Not only is He an active helper, but the Spirit is a similar helper. I want to explain that. Go back to verse 16 and notice the promise. "And I will pray the Father and He will give you"-- not just a Helper, but what's the word right before it? Another Helper.

Now, that word is very precise, another Helper. It means a Helper of exactly the same kind. A Helper of exactly the same kind, or from the same category. Now, in English we have one word for another, and that's the word-- what's the word? Another, that's it. There's only one word. Very good. Matt, you get an A on the test. So we have one word in English.

In the Greek word, if you want to say another, you have a choice between two different words. You can use the word allos, which means another of exactly the same kind, or you can use the word heteros, which means another of a different kind. How would this be used? Well, here's an example.

Let's say you go and order a hamburger at your favorite burger joint. And it looks like the one on the left, it's greasy. It tastes a lot like cardboard, seasoned cardboard. So you take a bite of that burger and you go, I'm not going to eat this thing. So you tell the guy who gave you the burger, I want another hamburger.

You don't mean I want one just like this bad one. You're not going to use the word allos, you're going to use the word heteros. I want another burger, but I want it to be different from the first. But if you like the hamburger that you ate because it's really juicy and good, like that-- look at that cheese, wow. I don't eat cheeseburgers, by the way, anymore, but it does look good.

So you look at that and you eat that and you say, that's so good. I think I can eat two. So now you go up to him and you say, I'd like another. You're going to use a different word. You're going to use the word allos. I want another exactly like the first one.

So when Jesus said the Father's going to give you another Helper, what He is meaning is, disciples, I've been a Helper to you. I'm leaving. But the Father's going to give you another Helper, exactly like I've been to you.

Everything that I have been to you the Holy Spirit will now be to you. Just like you've turned to Me in every situation, you can turn to the Holy Spirit in every situation. I have been a Helper to you. The Holy Spirit will now be your Helper.

Now let's just quickly examine that. How did Jesus help His disciples? I'll give you just two quick examples. Number one, he helped them pray. He helped them pray. They came to Him one day. And they saw that John had taught his disciples how to pray and they said, teach us to pray like John taught his disciples.

So Jesus said, OK, when you pray, come to the Father like this, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come-- you know the Lord's prayer, the disciple's prayer. He helped them pray. Likewise, the Holy Spirit helps us pray. Romans chapter 8, verse 26, "The Spirit also helps our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought."

Mark that. A lot of times you pray for stuff, you're way off base. The Lord knows that. So watch this. He helps us in our weaknesses. "For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Here's a silly illustration. You think you need a new car so you pray for it. God, please, in Jesus' name, I claim it. Give me a new car. The Holy Spirit might be saying, don't answer that prayer, Father. He does not need a new car. He needs patience. So keep that old car going. Give him a good mechanic to keep it going. So He knows that. He's going to help us in our prayers.

A second thing that Jesus helped His disciples with is instruction. He taught them for 3 and 1/2 years. They listened to the Sermon on the Mount. They listened to the Upper Room Discourse. They listen to the Olivet Discourse. They listened to all those parables he gave and all the life situations He instructed them in.

He taught them. He schooled them. He educated them. He matured them. In the same way, the Holy Spirit will do that. Look down in chapter 14 at verse 25, verse 25. "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you." I've taught you while I've lived among you.

"But the Helper"-- verse 26-- "the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." So I've been a Helper to you. He's going to send you another Helper exactly like I have been to you.

This is important because I've heard throughout the years the sentiment of many believers, myself included, something like this, wouldn't it have been great to live during the time that Jesus lived, to actually be there, to hear His voice and watch His miracles and be there when you needed something? Every need you have He could fix.

Yes, that would be good. I'm not at all depreciating that. I would love that. But what Jesus wants you to realize is that the Holy Spirit is the perfect substitution for Himself when it comes to being a Helper. The Holy Spirit is a perfect substitution of Jesus Christ when it comes to being a Helper.

And just as the disciples learned to turn to Jesus for everything, you and I need to learn to turn to the Holy Spirit for help. Jesus told them, apart from Me you can do nothing. He wants us to know apart from the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. The quicker you learn that, the happier you're going to be.

I'll sum it up this way. It's a little simplistic, but I think it helps. We need God the Father for external life. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. We need God the Father for external life. We need God the Son Jesus for our eternal life. He died on the cross for our sins, gave us life eternal as a free gift.

But we need the Holy Spirit for our internal life. He's the source of our strength. He's the source of our comfort. He's the source of instruction. He is our Helper. He is another Helper, a similar Helper.

Here's the third trait I would like you to look at. The Spirit is a permanent Helper. He's permanent. He's not going to be here one day and then leave the next. He's in it for the long haul. Verse 16, "And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever." Forever.

He's not going to be with you 3 and 1/2 years and leave. He's not going to be with you the first decade of your Christian life, until you get your own footing and you can pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and then leave and say, OK, you're on your own now. Grow up.

He's not going to be with you till you're 18 and then kick you out of the house, like my parents did. OK, get out. Do your thing. He's with you forever. He is with you forever. You have a 24/7 live-in Helper who will be comforting, maturing, counseling, and praying for you.

Yes, you can grieve the Holy Spirit, no question. Yes, you can resist and quench the Holy Spirit. But you need to know He's hanging around, and He's pretty committed to the process of growing you and I up. He is with you forever.

You see, the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is not like the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, you remember, the Spirit of God came upon individuals at different times for specific reasons and specific callings. And sometimes He would work powerfully and be upon them and then He would leave, and sometimes it was very disconcerting when He did.

For instance, King Saul. 1 Samuel chapter 16, we read, "The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul." That's not good. That's not good, because Saul is the King of the land, and if anybody needs help in ruling God's people, it's the king. And so the Spirit of God departed from Saul.

David watched it happen and it scared him to death, because he prayed later on in Psalm 51, do not cast me from Your Presence. Do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Don't let happen to me what happened to Saul.

Well, this is New Testament. It's not going to happen. That's Old Testament. In the New Testament, He is permanently in the believer. The Holy Spirit is with you forever, through every trial, through every heartache, through every decision you make, in the good times and in the bad times, from earth all the way to heaven. He's a permanent Helper.

Look at the 17th verse, "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it either sees Him nor knows Him." And I'm going to get to that in a second. "But you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you." Verse 18, "I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you."

So Jesus says in the 17th verse, He dwells with you and shall be in you. Now, think of these two relationships with Him, with, in. There's a third one later on, Acts chapter 1, verse 8. Jesus said, the Holy Spirit will come upon you.

So think of this threefold relationship, with, in, and upon. With, in, and upon. The Holy Spirit was with you before He was in you. The Holy Spirit was with you before you came to Christ.

A few weeks ago we talked about the hound of heaven, where the Lord said when the Spirit has come, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, of sin because they do not believe in me. That's how the Holy Spirit is with somebody.

But then once you throw up your hands and surrender and say, Jesus, come into my life. Be my Lord. He comes into your life and is your Lord, but He brings with him the Holy Spirit, who resides with you and abides in you. He is now not just with you, He's in you. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

But then later on He can come upon you to gift you to do His work in the world to be His witness. So I'll sum it up this way, the Holy Spirit comes after us to make us saved. He comes into us to make us sanctified. And then He comes upon us to make us supercharged. He empowers us to do His work.

That's why instead of saying, how can I get more of the Holy Spirit, we should be saying, how can the Holy Spirit get more of me? Because you, as a mortal, having all of that power at your disposal would be a dangerous thing. So it's not like how can you get more power? How about how can the all powerful one just get a hold of you and work through you? He's a permanent Helper.

The fourth trait I want you to notice in this text is the Spirit is a reliable helper, for Jesus calls Him in verse 17 the Spirit of what? Truth. He calls him the Helper. That's His designated term four times in the section, I mentioned, but at least three times he is called the Spirit of truth by Jesus.

The Spirit of truth and the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. So he's the Spirit of truth. He can't lie. He can't deceive. He won't lead you to lie. He won't lead you to deceive. He traffics in truth.

If you don't mind, go down to chapter 15, or go over one chapter, chapter 15 verse 26. "Bu when the helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth"-- there's that term-- who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." In other words, he's going to tell you the truth about who I am. He'll reinforced the truth of my identity. He will testify of me.

Verse 27, "And you also will bear witness because you have been with Me from the beginning." Now go over to chapter 16, one more chapter. Same night, same message, same room. Chapter 16 verse 12, "I still have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now."

You understand that, right? They're emotionally distraught. They're not hearing all the things Jesus is telling them because He told them He's leaving. Their head is spinning. Their hearts are pounding. And so He knows that. And He says, I have a lot of things to tell you but you guys cannot handle it.

However, here's the great part about that. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will tell you things to come.

This accounts for how the disciples could write the New Testament. People say all the time, how could they remember all the things Jesus did and said? I mean, I forget what happened yesterday. The only way they could is by this promise. He's going to direct you into the truth. He's going to bring everything to your remembrance. He's going to enable you to do that.

Now, this brings up a very important point here. In this section that I'm reading out of John 16 verse 13, He's called the Spirit of truth. He's going to guide you into all truth. There is a word in the original Greek manuscript that is not in the translations, unfortunately. It's the article "the."

It actually reads, "When the Spirit of the truth has come, He will guide you into all the truth." It's a very specific kind of truth. It's not just like He's going to show you what's true and what's false. He's the Spirit of the truth. [NON-ENGLISH]-- the truth. He's referring to a specific body of truth centering on Jesus Christ, which is the New Testament. That's specifically what He's the spirit of, the truth about Jesus.

So when a person comes up to you and says, you know, the Lord gave me a vision about you. And you're going, OK, here it goes. I don't know what's coming next. Doesn't sound good. Or the Lord spoke to me. And I'm not saying the Lord cannot speak to you or the Lord cannot give you an impression of your heart, but follow me here.

When somebody says I've gotten a word from the Lord or a prophecy from the Lord or a vision from the Lord, the Lord spoke to me, I immediately go, well, maybe He did, maybe He didn't. Tell me what He told you and then I will match it up and see if it goes along with the revealed Word of God, "the truth."

If it does, then what you said is true. If it doesn't, then it's not true. So how can you tell if a person is filled with the Holy Spirit? Number 1, he's holy because he's the Holy Spirit. Number 2, he's filled with the truth, truthful. He's the Spirit of truth.

In Daniel chapter 10, verse 21-- you don't have to turn there-- he calls the Bible the Scripture of truth. I love that designation, the Scripture of truth. And that is always the consistent case throughout the Holy Scriptures, is that God reveals His Word and everything that people say must be compared to that to see if it lines up.

So there's an interesting text in Isaiah chapter 8-- we're going to throw it up on the screen-- where it says in Isaiah chapter 8-- there it is-- "And when they say to you, seek those who are mediums and wizards who whisper and mutter"-- stop right there. Now that's a false practice. They were telling people that you can consult a medium and find out what God's will is. They were having all sorts of weird spiritual practices.

But "when they say do you seek those who are mediums and wizards"-- listen to the response-- "should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?" Look at the next part. Here's the answer to all that, "to the law and to the testimony."

You know what the law is and the testimony? It's the Scripture. It's the law of Moses, the testimony of the prophets. "To the law and to the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." So if somebody says the Lord spoke to me but it happens to be the opposite of what the Bible says, it's because there is no light in them.

You always compare it. Always compare with the revealed "truth" of God, the Scriptures. And this is something that the Bereans did. Remember the Bereans in Acts chapter 17? They were commanded by Paul and by Luke, the author of the book of Acts. The Bereans, it says, received the words of Paul with all readiness of mind. They received his teaching, but they searched the Scriptures daily to see if these things be so. They were commended for that.

So even Paul the apostle got scrutiny. Hey, you know, Paul gave a sermon today. I'm going to go read my Bible and see if he's right. Paul said, I like that. That's what you should be doing with everybody. You should be matching what they say, what they teach, what they purport, according to the Scripture of truth.

Something else before I move on to the next and last. It's going to be a balanced truth. Somebody who traffics in the truth of God, or is filled with the Spirit, if you want to test it, is it balanced truth? They don't just emphasize one truth over the other truths. They take into consideration all of Scripture. It's balanced.

That's a hermeneutics principle. Hermeneutics is the study or the science of interpreting the text of the Bible. Some of it you don't even perhaps know, but you know hermeneutics, and here's why. When somebody brings out a text of the Bible and quotes you a text of Scripture, you immediately think, what is the context?

You say that all the time. What's the context? That's a hermeneutic principle, because every tax has to be examined by its context. If it's out of context, it might not mean what it really means in context.

There's another hermeneutical principle and that is called the unity of Scripture. That is where you balance all the truths of the Scripture and ask yourself, is this truth consistent all the way through the Scripture? So you never get Scriptural harmony if you play one string of the truth. You play all the strings together, and it's wonderful a harmony.

That takes us to the fifth and final trait of the Holy Spirit's help. The Spirit is an exclusive Helper. Not everybody gets His help. Not everybody gets His help. Only certain ones get His help. I want you to see who they are because you're going to like this.

Verse 17, "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive"-- that is, the world of unbelievers-- "because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you." Every child of God, every child of God has the Holy Spirit. Every one.

The Holy Spirit comes inside, baptizes them into the body of Christ. Every child of God has the Holy Spirit. The people of the world do not. And why don't people in the world receive Him? Because He says the world cannot receive. Why don't they receive Him? This is what He says, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.

That's the worldview of nonbelievers. They say all the time, I won't believe it unless I can see it. I've never seen God. Prove to me God exists. I want to see something. Show me the science. I got to taste it, feel it, see it. The world cannot receive it. You can receive it. You can receive it.

Let me give you another illustration. And I hope my illustrations don't weigh on you. I always come up with these crazy illustrations. Oh, here's another illustration. But s really do try to connect God's truth and make it meaningful to you. But right now in this room there are sounds going on. You can't hear them right now, but they're here.

There are pictures in this room. There are movies in this room. You can't see or hear them, but if you had the right receiver, you could. If you put a radio up here, turned it on, put the antenna right, you get that music. Then you turn it, get a different channel.

Or you could get your phone hooked up to Wi-Fi or 4G and you can get those pictures or a TV. Those are receivers. Those are receivers. The Holy Spirit hooks you up to God's Wi-Fi, enables you to receive, and by receiving say, I get it. I apprehend it. I understand it.

1 Corinthians chapter 2, "The natural man"-- the unsaved person-- "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, nor can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned." Have you ever shared the gospel with a person and you're explaining it to them and it makes such sense to you. And they're kind of going, I don't get it.

You're going, you don't get it? Can't you see this? And they're going, no. Because unless God opens the eyes of the blind, opens the heart, it's not going to work. He's got to hook them up.

It's like you taking a blind person and saying, you mean you can't see that sunset? No, they can't. They lack the capability to apprehend and enjoy and understand it. The world cannot receive. You can receive. You have received. The Holy Spirit is the exclusive resident Helper to every believer.

Now, I'm drawing this to an end here and we're going to pray soon. We have been given directions in Scripture as to our relationship with the Holy Spirit going forward. He's with us. He's in us. He comes upon us. We have been given direction in the Scripture as to our relationship, and the classic text is Ephesians chapter 5 in verse 17.

He says, "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation"-- or debauchery, some translations say. In other words, you get drunk, it'll mess your life up. "Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit."

A lot of people have struggled. Why is there this comparison in the Scripture? Why the Holy Spirit Himself, since He's the original author of the Bible, that you compare being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit? Easy answer, control.

When a person drinks alcohol to the point of excess, that he's drunk, and he gets behind the wheel of a car and he gets written up for DUI, driving under the influence, it's because he is dangerous. That person has no control. So don't be drunk with wine. Don't lose control to that. Give control to the Holy Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit. It implies control.

I brought with me a glove. I want to show you another crazy Skip illustration. Let me get it. So here's my little work glove. Now, it's empty. See that? Let's fill it up.

So I'll put my keys in it. One set of keys, car keys. OK. Is it filled? Well, it's filling, but it's not filled. Let's put my mask in it. I'll need that for later. Let's put it in there. OK. That's pretty packed. Is it full? Not yet?

OK, wait. Don't give up on me. I got sunglasses. I'm going to stuff those in there. How about now? Is it filled? OK, wait, I think I can stick my phone somehow in there. Wow, that's pretty full. Is it full? Close.

There's kind of a dispute if it's really full. I guess I could put sand in it or water in it. It could be full. But even if I did that, I could fill it with a lot of things, would it be useful if it's filled with any of these things? No, not really all that useful. I mean, yeah, it can hold my stuff, but it's not really intended for that. Really? Yeah, really.

OK, ready? Ready? Is it filled now? Now it's filled. It's like completely filled. Well, there maybe a little bit of air in there. Don't be tech. OK, so it's filled and it's useful, and it's filled with what it was intended to be filled with because the glove was made for the hand to fill it in order that work might be accomplished. Now work can get done.

So rather than me giving control to a substance and getting out of control, I'm going to give control to the Holy Spirit so that He can do His work in me and through me. That's the idea being filled with the Holy Spirit. When you're filled with the Holy Spirit, it's going to show up in your marriage. When you're filled with the Holy Spirit, it's going to show up in your occupation.

When you're filled with the Holy Spirit, it's going to show up in your singleness. When you're filled with the Holy Spirit, it's going to show up in your education. When you're filled with the Holy Spirit, it's going to show up in your social media. To show up everywhere. It's going to be thought by thought, choice by choice, act by act under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Something else about that text that I just read in Ephesians 5. It's not technically correct in English. When it says be filled with the Holy Spirit, that's not technically correct. The Greek language, it's in the present passive imperative. I'm not going to get into the weeds, but here's the most technical translation, "be being filled with the Holy Spirit." Be being filled. Be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now, you might say, why? I mean, I came to Christ. I've been filled with the Spirit. Isn't that enough? Why do I have to keep being filled with the Spirit? Here's why, because you leak. Can you relate to that? You leak. One baptism, many fillings. Be being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Charles Spurgeon said, "If there were one prayer I might pray before I die, it should be this, Lord, send thy church men filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Well, I've been filled. Get filled again and again and again and again.

What do you have to do to get filled with the Spirit? Ask. Ask. I don't know why we make the Holy Spirit so weird in church. OK, we're going to have a time of the Holy Spirit now. Let's dim the lights, because the Holy Spirit does not like bright lights.

And the music has to be soft music because he doesn't like loud music. It can be in the middle of bright sunlight playing "In A Gadda Da Vida." It does not matter. Who cares? Jesus said this, if you being evil by nature know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Ask Him. Don't be Skip Heitzig going home for your stupid paper. I need somebody, help. You just ask for help. Be filled with the Spirit.

Last illustration, I promise. Thomas Edison was in his workshop with his assistant one day. His assistant was pretty discouraged. He looked at the work benches that were strewn before him and he said, it's too bad. He said to Edison, it's too bad that we've done all this work without any results.

They were trying to find the proper filament for an incandescent light bulb at the time. Too bad we have no results. Edison said, oh, we have lots of results. We have just discovered 700 things that won't work.

Maybe you've discovered lots of things that don't work. Your life doesn't work with a self-help book. Your life doesn't work with just one retreat away for your marriage. Your life doesn't work by trying this relationship or that substance. What will work is when you are filled with what you were intended to be filled with, and that is God Himself.

That is the power of the Holy Spirit living in you, but it begins by a relationship with God. And if you've never prayed to receive Christ, now's the day. Today's the day to do that. As we close, just say this, Lord, I need you.

I need your help. I admit I'm a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins. I believe you rose again. I turn from my past. I repent of my sin. I turn to Jesus as my Savior. I want to follow Him as my Lord. Help me. Help me to live for You. Fill me with Your Spirit, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

Let's all stand. If you prayed that prayer, I ask, would you see one of our leaders after the service? and we'll give you instructions of what to do, next steps. I pray that you'll enjoy God's peace this week. I know it's a crazy world, and we say that every week, and it's been crazy for months.

So the crazy is still happening. The crazy is all around us. It's in the political realm. It's in the social realm. It's in the physical realm. It's crazy. But God is not, and He wants to stabilize us and fill you with His peace, fill your life with His power and His control. And I pray you'll see the difference this week, that you'll enjoy Him. In Jesus' name, amen.

We hope you enjoyed this special service from Calvary Church. We'd love to know how this message impacted you. Email us at mystory@calvarynm.church. And just a reminder, you can support this ministry with a financial gift at calvarynm.church/give. Thank you for joining us for this teaching from Calvary Church.

Additional Messages in this Series

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6/14/2020
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Seeing Truth Clearly
2 Timothy 4:1-8
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Hiram Johnson said, "The first casualty in war is truth." God’s people have been in a cosmic battle since the fall. Satan’s first allegation against truth was in Genesis 3:1: "Has God indeed said...?" Deception regarding truth is Satan's primary occupation. We now live in what might be dubbed a post-truth culture wherein the very idea of absolute truth is considered archaic and even offensive. In this series, we will look to the "Scripture of Truth" (Daniel 10:21) to reinforce our foundation and engender biblical literacy. Here at the end of Paul's life, he could foresee the abandonment of truth, and he gave Timothy this antidote: "Preach the Word!"
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6/21/2020
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Seeing God as Father
Luke 11:2
Skip Heitzig
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God is presented in Scripture by a variety of images. He is called our Rock, our Refuge, our Warrior, our Shepherd, our Shield, our Hiding Place, our Redeemer, our Fountain, our Husband, and our Vinedresser. But no motif is as powerful and personal as seeing God as our Father. With this title, the invisible God becomes the intimate God. Today, on Father’s Day, we consider the singular phrase "Our Father in heaven" as an introduction to the doctrine of God. Let’s turn over each word and mine the depths of the riches contained in this great verse.
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6/28/2020
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How Can I Relate to God?
Exodus 32-34
Skip Heitzig
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The subject of God is the loftiest of all themes and the pinnacle of all pursuits. For some people, the idea of God is absurd because He is not readily perceived by the senses, like a flower or another person. But as we learn who God is and how perceptible He is to us, I think we’ll be both lifted up and humbled all at the same time. Today we trace the journey that every person must take who wants to relate to the God of the universe. Let’s examine five stages of this relationship.
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7/5/2020
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Biblical History: Fact or Fancy?
Dr. Steven Collins
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Dr. Steven Collins serves as the dean of the College of Archaeology at Veritas International University and a consulting research professor at Trinity Southwest University. He is also the director of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project in Jordan, which is believed to be the location of Sodom.
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7/12/2020
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Hello, I’m God!
Exodus 34:5-9
Skip Heitzig
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People have written and spoken about God for millennia. It’s what I have done for nearly four decades. But today we get to hear from God Himself as He gives to Moses His own autobiography. Here He introduces Himself by stating His name and His occupation as God. He states His primary character traits, thus framing what our relationship with Him is going to be like. This is a primary passage of Scripture, meaning other biblical authors make reference to it later on in their writings. Let’s find out what God says about Himself.
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7/19/2020
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Knowing the God Who Knows You
Psalm 139:1-6, 23-24
Skip Heitzig
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A person with knowledge can be intimidating. They spew facts and figures and can dizzy us with information and understanding. But rightly seen, a study of God’s comprehensive knowledge can be a source of great comfort to us. In this series, 20/20: Seeing Truth Clearly, we come to grips with the fact that God sees everything most clearly. His knowledge is vast, infinite, comprehensive, specific, and personal. But let’s observe how God’s omniscience can become inspiring rather than intimidating.
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7/26/2020
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Here, There, and Everywhere
Psalm 139:7-12
Skip Heitzig
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One of the Beatles’ most melodic hits expressed a couple’s romantic desire to be together at all times and in all places and was simply titled, “Here, There and Everywhere.” This title also expresses a unique attribute of God (what theologians call an incommunicable attribute). He is everywhere present in the totality of His being! This may be one of the hardest-to-understand characteristics of God, but one that brings great comfort to us.
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8/2/2020
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The Unrivaled Power of God
Psalm 139:13-18
Skip Heitzig
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God is called Almighty fifty-seven times in Scripture. It means that the resources of His power are boundless. He is unlimited in His ability and unconstrained in His capacity. God’s attribute of omnipotence is helpful for us to remember when we are feeling overwhelmed with threatening circumstances. Just as we feel confident when our mobile devices have plenty of battery power to spare, we can live confidently knowing that our great God has power for any of our problems.
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8/9/2020
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Holy, Holy, Holy!
Isaiah 6:1-8
Skip Heitzig
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Holiness sounds scary. Thoughts of dusty, cloistered halls of a monastery fill our minds when we hear the word. We might think of chants and long prayers rather than anthems and short prayers. It hardly seems like an appropriate word for the twenty-first century! But according to one theologian, God’s holiness is the one attribute that binds all His other attributes together. This is the characteristic that most uniquely describes God. Let’s consider it today.
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8/16/2020
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One Plus One Plus One Equals One?
John 14:1-18
Skip Heitzig
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One of the most fundamental yet challenging truths in Scripture is the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Try to explain it and you might lose your mind, but try to explain it away and you might lose your soul. The Bible openly teaches the plurality within the Godhead—three persons who are distinct from one another yet perfectly One in essence. How are we to think about this? And how should it affect us personally?
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8/23/2020
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Pain: God’s Biggest Problem
John 9:1-7
Skip Heitzig
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Perhaps the biggest impediment to believing in God (as stated by those who don’t) is the presence of pain and suffering in the world. How can there be a God who is benevolent and omnipotent with the sheer volume of grief, misery, travail, and torment at any given moment? Today we explore the theme of a loving God in a universe pockmarked by pain. As Jesus was in Jerusalem with His disciples, they came across a blind man. I’d like to show you four features of this most common and universal of human experiences.
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8/30/2020
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Christ Jesus Our Lord
Philippians 2:5-11
Skip Heitzig
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At the very center of history’s stage stands Jesus Christ. He has no peers. The Father in heaven sent Him on the mission of redemption and He humbly surrendered. When it was accomplished, He conquered death itself by resurrection and returned to glory. In what is considered by many to be the greatest single statement about Jesus Christ in the New Testament, Paul succinctly framed His humiliation, His exaltation, and His example to us.
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9/6/2020
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The Atonement: His Death, Our Life
John 12:20-33
Skip Heitzig
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Wasn’t there any other way for God to save human beings than by sending His Son to die? The very idea of a bloody crucifixion sounds brutal and barbarous to some, yet it is the centerpiece of our faith. What is the big deal about the atonement? Why the cross? Why had it been the plan of God through the ages? Today we examine the death of Christ for us and, in His own words, His own estimation of its necessity and consequence.
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9/13/2020
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He’s Alive! Proofs of the Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Skip Heitzig
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Just as your own heart is the pump that brings life-giving blood to your entire body, so is the resurrection of Jesus that gives life to the gospel message. Without it, our faith would be totally useless; our message would be utterly powerless. The resurrection is also what separates Jesus Christ from every other spiritual leader and would-be messiah. It validates His teaching. It authenticates His claims. It substantiates His promises. And it corroborates our confidence in Him as our Savior and Lord.
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9/20/2020
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The Holy Spirit in the World
John 16:5-11
Skip Heitzig
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We are not alone in the universe! That’s the premise of most sci-fi documentaries, but I’m not referring to alien life from another galaxy, rather to the living God Himself. In particular, I am referring to the Holy Spirit. He has a particular role when it comes to working in this world, and that is to awaken people to their great need for Christ. In our series 20/20: Seeing Truth Clearly, we will turn in the next few weeks to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. What is His role in the life of the unbeliever and the life of the believer?
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10/11/2020
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Who Is the Holy Spirit?
John 16
Nate Heitzig
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There can be a lot of mystery and misinformation surrounding the Holy Spirit. When we look to Scripture, however, the third person of the Godhead comes into clear focus. In this teaching, Nate Heitzig describes the person of the Holy Spirit, His work both at scale in the world and individually in the hearts of believers, and how He helps you gain a deeper understanding of God's Word.
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10/25/2020
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God’s Purpose for People
Genesis 1-3
Skip Heitzig
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After spending several weeks considering God’s nature and character, we now turn to mankind. What is the purpose of the people inhabiting this planet? How can we fulfill the God-given destiny that He originally had in mind when He placed us here? Someone once said that the two most significant days in one’s life are first, the day we were born, and second, the day we discovered what we were born for. Let’s go back to the beginning.
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11/1/2020
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The Dark Side
Romans 3:10-26
Nate Heitzig
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God created humans in His own image. But even with God's imprint in humanity, people have a dark side—a sin nature—because of Adam and Eve's rebellion. One consequence of our rebellion against God is guilt, but in today's society, many people try to minimize both sin and guilt by casting them in a deceptively benign light. In this teaching, Nate Heitzig looks at what the book of Romans has to say about our true condition and its only remedy.
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11/15/2020
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Once Dead, Now Alive!
Ephesians 2:1-7
Skip Heitzig
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Of all the doctrines that adorn the New Testament, salvation is the most personal and the most transformative. Below are the various stages that every saved person goes through in coming to Christ. Today, try to remember what it was like for you when Jesus became real to you and you realized your need for Him to save you, then answer this fundamental question: How has your conversion changed your contentment?
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11/22/2020
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I’m a Christian—Now What?
Romans 8:12-17
Skip Heitzig
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Once you decide to repent from your past, say yes to Jesus Christ, and invite Him into your heart, you begin a lifelong relationship with Him. Nothing stays the same. Paul wrote, “Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT). Conversion is the gateway to transformation. Let’s consider four clear experiences that happen in the life of everyone who believes.
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11/29/2020
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The Angels of God
Hebrews 1
Skip Heitzig
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Angels are largely relegated to the realms of mythology and childhood fantasy. Most people never think about them. But angels are very, very real. Martin Luther commented, "An angel is a spiritual creature created by God without a body, for the service of Christendom and of the church." He was partly correct, but angels serve an even greater role than being strictly for the church. Their ministry objective is principally concerned with the glory and majesty of God. Let’s explore some of the noteworthy traits that angels have.
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12/6/2020
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Satan: His Meaning, Minions, and Methods
Luke 10:17-20
Skip Heitzig
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Most people today don't believe in the Devil. For them, he's merely a symbol of evil, or he's reduced to a mythical figure with horns and a pitchfork. But the Bible is clear: Satan exists. There is no more powerful foe we face as believers. In this message, Skip Heitzig reveals six surprising facts you may not know about our Enemy.
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12/13/2020
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The Essential Church
Matthew 16:13-20
Skip Heitzig
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Many voices today are decrying the church, rejecting its message and doubting its relevance. And yet, according to its founder, Jesus Christ, the church is essential. COVID-19 has only served to accentuate the voices on both sides of the argument about the church’s importance, so we find ourselves on a timely subject. As we consider the nature and purpose of the church in this message from our 20/20 series, let’s be committed to being the people of God as the New Testament presents them to be.
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12/20/2020
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What Every True Church Should Be
John 17
Skip Heitzig
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Not only is the church essential, it is purposeful and practical—it has a reason to exist. Since Jesus said He would build His church, He gets to decide what the distinctive marks of this new community should be. In this most intimate prayer of Jesus recorded in Scripture, we hear what He wants most for His people who He calls His church. Today we will consider the first two characteristics of the church Jesus had in mind.
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12/27/2020
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What Every True Church Should Be - Part 2
John 17
Skip Heitzig
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The prayer of Jesus in John 17 is His longest and most intimate recorded in Scripture. Here our Lord expresses His wishes for the new community of His followers we call the church. Since the church belongs to Jesus, since it is Jesus who builds the church (see Matthew 16:18), and since it’s Jesus who paid for the church (see Acts 20:28), He gets to decide what it should be like. So what are the characteristics He wants to see in His followers? What are the marks of a true church? We noted two last week and today we unpack two more.
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1/3/2021
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Are We Living in the Last Days?
2 Peter 1-3
Skip Heitzig
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When it comes to the last days or the end times or, for that matter, any Bible prophecy, there is no shortage of speculation and sensationalism. Every generation has its doomsday preachers predicting the end of everything, trying to fit current events into the predictive prophecy so prevalent in Scripture. Yet one day the world will end. So what are the last days and what are the characteristics of that time period? Let’s consider five features.
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1/10/2021
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The Rapture—Is It Real?
John 14:1-6
Skip Heitzig
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The word rapture is not found in most English translations of Scripture, but the concept of it most certainly is. Latin translations of the New Testament have the word plainly rendered as rapturo, which simply means a catching away or a snatching away. The Bible presents two stages of Jesus’ second coming: first, He will come suddenly in the air to snatch away believers; then He will return to earth at the end of a seven-year period called the tribulation.
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1/17/2021
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The Second Coming of Christ
Revelation 19:6-16
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus said He was coming back (see John 14:3), and an angel told His disciples He would come back to the earth (see Acts 1:11). The second coming of Christ will be the culmination of redemptive history. After history runs its sinister course, after the final period of man’s rebellion, Satan’s retaliation, and God’s judgment is poured out, Jesus will return to planet earth. Today, we will consider four aspects of His return as found in Revelation 19 and throughout the Scriptures.
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1/24/2021
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What Most People Don’t Know about Heaven
Revelation 21
Skip Heitzig
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What happens when a believer dies? What will heaven be like? I’ve heard the craziest stories and descriptions about the afterlife over the years, often at funerals. I have since discovered that most people’s (even Christians) ideas about what heaven will be like are vastly different than what Scripture reveals. First off, I hope you indeed are going to heaven. Let’s examine a few things that might surprise you about your heavenly home.
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1/31/2021
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The Truth about Hell
Matthew 25:41
Skip Heitzig
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Hell is an eternal and biblical reality, but it’s one that has become relegated to the junk pile of modern myths. Actor Woody Allen once said that hell is the abode of all people who annoy him. People speak of hell in daily conversations usually as an expletive without any thought of the somberness of the place. Certainly, of all the Christian doctrines unfolded in Scripture, hell is the toughest one to handle. Let’s get the scriptural scoop.
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There are 30 additional messages in this series.
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