When He Is Come - Media Sabda Org

More documents

Recommendations

Info

WHEN HE IS COME by Joshua Stauffer Chapter 23 IN THE SPIRIT "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?" (James 4:5). The Scriptures do not speak in vain. God says what He means and means what He says, and we do well to believe all He says. This text seems a little difficult to understand. "The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy" is the Holy Spirit. Another version of this text reads, "The Spirit that dwelleth in us loveth us to jealousy." Still another translation reads, "The Spirit that dwelleth in us, jealously desires us for His Own." The meaning is, the Holy Spirit jealously desires us for Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit in the world in this dispensation is to gather out the church, even a people for the name of Christ. The "people for his name" is the church which will be united in marriage to the Lamb, to forever be one with Him and go by His name. The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, which was the birthday of the church, and became incorporated in the church. He is still in the world and will be until the church is completed, then He will take the church and go to meet Christ in the air. His work now is to convict, woo, regenerate, sanctify, empower, lead, gather out, and eventually rapture the church. I. Convicted by the Spirit Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit. No preacher can convict sinners of their sins. A preacher may convince people if he preaches the truth, but convincement is not conviction. The Holy Spirit may be likened to a holy policeman who apprehends, arrests, and convicts the sinner. He is faithful in convicting the sinner and His method of operation in conviction is to work in co-operation with the preaching of the gospel. Conviction is not a pleasant feeling or experience, but it is the greatest blessing that can come to any sinner. When the sinner surrenders and yields to the conviction of the Spirit, he is led to salvation and great blessings. Before the Lord can bless sinners, He must first, as it were, unbless them. When a sinner is convicted, the Spirit is seeking to lead him to repentance and to Christ. Conviction is not a thing to trifle with, fight, resent, or to slough off; but rather, the sinner should thank God for it, allow it to take hold of him, and lay hold on it, for that is God's method of dealing with the sinner. Conviction will make the sinner feel lost, miserable, undone, afraid to live, afraid to die, and brings a fear of God, hell, and the judgment. There is hope and salvation when he surrenders to the Spirit. Conviction of the Spirit will lead to contrition for sin. A godly sorrow is very essential in true repentance. A godly sorrow is more than being sorry because of natural consequences of sin, or that one has been discovered to be a sinner. True repentance is a sorrow produced by the Spirit, that we are sorry to God because we have sinned against Him and that we are lost. The Hebrew word "repent" in the Old Testament means to pant, to sigh, to groan, to lament, and to grieve about one's doing. It is a sorrow that brings an abhorrence of sin, a change of mind and of purpose, so that he no longer will indulge in sinning.
A sinner attended a revival meeting several years ago and was deeply convicted by the Spirit. This man did not yield to the Lord; that revival closed a little prematurely, and the evangelist left. Conviction did not leave this man and he became so miserable he could not rest, eat, or sleep. He went to a physician in his town and tried to explain how he felt. The doctor examined the man by listening to his heart, feeling his pulse, and taking his temperature, but could not find any symptom for which he could make a prescription. He confessed, "I do not find anything wrong with you." The man said, "Doctor, I need help. I am restless, and have lost my appetite. Is there not some kind of tonic you may prescribe for me?" The doctor made a second examination and again did not find any symptoms for which he could make a prescription. After considering some time what prescription to make he finally said, "I do not know what is the matter with you unless you have been in a revival meeting and are under conviction." The sinner then confessed that that was so, that he had been attending a revival meeting and had been wrought upon by the ministry. The physician gave the following advice to him, "Go back to the revival meeting and when the altar call is given, go to the mourner's bench and repent of your sins, then you will be all right." The man said, "The revival meeting has closed and the evangelist is gone." The doctor replied, "Find another one somewhere in the country and by all means get right with God." God, Who works at both ends of the line, began to move upon the heart of the evangelist and led him back to continue the revival a little longer. He obeyed the Lord and started the revival again, and this sinner man attended and got right with the Lord. Then he was all right. All three men involved were personally known by the author, who concluded that this doctor made the best examination and discovery that any doctor of medicine could make, and also gave the best prescription that any physician could make in which no doctor of divinity could surpass him. II. Born of the Spirit The new birth is an absolute necessity, for a man born but once will die twice, and a man born twice, will if faithful die but once and not at all if he is alive and ready when Christ returns. The new birth is produced by the Spirit. There are many Scriptures which teach the way to God and salvation. Christ said, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). If this condition is met, the sinner will not perish, but obtain everlasting life. Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). This promise will also become operative if the condition is met. Paul wrote to the Romans as follows: "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9). In Ephesians 2:8, we read how we are saved: "For by grace are ye saved through
Page 1 and 2:
WESLEYAN HERITAGE Library WHEN HE I
Page 3 and 4:
WHEN HE IS COME by Joshua Stauffer
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
infirmities. He is well qualified t
Page 11 and 12:
esurrected life of Christ and impar
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16:
the gospel to all people. It is the
Page 17 and 18:
II. Personal Characteristics Ascrib
Page 19 and 20:
V. Personal Treatments Predicated o
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
will do for each of us all we will
Page 25 and 26:
Then the Holy Spirit is omniscient.
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
"Judgment" here refers to convictio
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
the beautiful type of Christ our gr
Page 35 and 36:
VII. Wine Wine also symbolizes the
Page 37 and 38:
second Person of the Trinity out of
Page 39 and 40:
Christ was not baptized with the Ho
Page 41 and 42:
performed; the manner in which His
Page 43 and 44:
(Acts 1:22). He did not ascend in H
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
flesh and humanity; the brass, that
Page 49 and 50: III. The Vessels Unto Honor The Lor
Page 51 and 52: WHEN HE IS COME by Joshua Stauffer
Page 53 and 54: tongue (if only a few words) is an
Page 57 and 58: V. He Guides Us by Constraint Const
Page 61 and 62: therefore, Christ could legally giv
Page 65 and 66: is threefold. Paul says it is "for
Page 67 and 68: however, we should desire the best
Page 69 and 70: 1. Apostles (those sent forth, or m
Page 71 and 72: VI. The Skillful Employment of Our
Page 73 and 74: II. The Holy Spirit Produces Fruit
Page 75 and 76: "I do not think so," he answered. "
Page 79 and 80: and high church officials, but for
Page 83 and 84: in the right decision, and cause th
Page 87 and 88: law of God, neither indeed can be"
Page 91 and 92: send in my name, he shall teach you
Page 93 and 94: and the Father and the Son have sen
Page 95 and 96: of the blood, which very beautifull
Page 97 and 98: One time a child was lost and inqui
Page 99: The baptism with the Holy Spirit do
Page 103 and 104: to be the disposition of every man
Page 105 and 106: II. Quenching the Holy Spirit "Quen
Page 107 and 108: ought Christ down to the depth of S
Page 109 and 110: of trouble when he prophesied, "I w
Page 111 and 112: earnest" of our inheritance. The "e
Page 113 and 114: the blowing of the wind upon those
Page 115 and 116: order, beauty, and arrangement, mak
Page 117 and 118: II. The Spirit's Ministry in the Ol
Page 119: one with Him, Christ will do it thr
show all

When He Is Come - Media Sabda Org

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?