The Holy Spirit Resisted

The Holy Spirit is resisted by those who reject the gospel. They thereby have "insulted the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:29). The Bible teaches that people resist the Holy Spirit, because their hearts have not been changed by the grace of God. The responsibility of man is his own just condemnation in rejecting the gospel  of Christ.

"You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51). Only the Spirit of God can change the heart of man, which means our mind, will, and emotions. By resisting the Holy Spirit, people are insulting the only one who can apply the gospel of Christ to our hearts.

The Holy Spirit, who changes the corrupt heart of man, is the same Spirit who convicts the heart of man. Conviction is grace that precedes new birth (John 16:7-11). When conviction is resisted, grace is resisted. Conviction deals specifically with the sin of unbelief, in essence, rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why would anyone reject the gospel of Christ? Jesus said, "And this is condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). Therefore, those who resist the Spirit, by rejecting the gospel of Christ, face their own just condemnation.

How to Hear God

"Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15). God speaks to you through the Bible. It's God's love letter to you. The Holy Spirit inspired the words of Holy Scripture centuries ago, but He still speaks through them. Those who believe not, can only read printed words on paper. Believers read words that speak to their hearts. Hear God today through the Bible.

Hear God with your heart. The heart is your mind, will, and emotions. His word to you is through the Holy Spirit. God's voice has been seldom heard by the ears of men, even in Bible times. God's word in the Bible will speak daily to your heart. 

Hear God today. He has important things to say to you through the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). God speaks in a personal and intimate way to every believer. God communicates with you to experience his love in your heart, "because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5).

God's Spirit, who inspired the Scripture, speaks to the hearts of all God's children. God shares His thoughts with you. They are eternal thoughts found in your Bible from the Father above. God's thoughts encourage, console and comfort you. His thoughts strengthen and assure you. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). God speaks to you today with love.

The Holy Spirit Seals Us

"In Him (Christ) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). Scripture is clear, upon believing the gospel of Christ, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. 

In Bible days, important letters were written on scrolls of parchment. It was rolled together and sealed in such a way that the recipient of the letter knew that no one had changed the message. We could say, it was signed, sealed and delivered. This custom was used to illustrate our security in Christ. Believers are sealed by God's Spirit.

The Holy Spirit of promise comes to you through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:2, 5). The Holy Spirit is the covenant promise of God to you and every believer (Acts 2:38-39). God says, "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27).

The Holy Spirit is your seal of promise, to be your Guide, Counselor, Helper and Comforter. The Holy Spirit was promised to you as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13). Every believer is sealed with the promise of the Spirit, unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). That's the day Christ returns and believers are glorified into His likeness (1 John 3:2). 

The Power of Evangelism

In his book Joy Unspeakable, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states, "Go through Acts and in every instance when we are told either that the Spirit came upon these men or that they were filled with the Spirit, you will find that it was in order to bear a witness and a testimony." He observed in the book of Acts, the anointing of the Holy Spirit to use men in evangelism.

The power of evangelism is through the Holy Spirit. He bears witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He uses us to share the gospel in power. Jesus said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). That's New Testament evangelism.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). The gospel comes not in word only, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance" (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Anointed evangelism is in the Word and the Spirit.

Let us pray that God will use us to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us also give the glory to God for those who are saved, recognizing our total dependence upon the Holy Spirit. God wants to use us in evangelism through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Be Saved and Sure

Jesus died for our sins on the cross. He is risen from the dead for our justification. We become children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus (Galatians 3:26). Jesus intercedes for believers, that the Father will "keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15). This is the present day ministry of Jesus, as every believer's High Priest (Hebrews 7:20-25). Jesus shall return to glorify all who believe in Him (1 John 3:2). Be saved and sure as a believer, if Jesus is your surety!

Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22). A surety is a guarantee. In Bible days, the word surety was used to describe someone who guaranteed another person's debt would be paid. All of us have a sin debt to God. The good news is Jesus paid it all. Be saved and sure by faith in Christ alone.

There is no way that we can repay our sin debt against God. We have broken God's law. Our conscience testifies as much. The good news is that Jesus paid it all. Believers look to the cross of Jesus, where He died in our place. Our sin debt to God's justice was paid, not in part but the whole. As believers, we are free from a debt that we could never repay, when Jesus is our surety. 

In Jesus Christ our Lord be saved and  sure, according to God's promises. In the new covenant, God makes four promises to every believer, guaranteed through Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:7-13). These promises are: (1) God will put His laws in our mind; (2) God will be our God and we are His people; (3) We will all know the Lord; (4) God will forgive our sins and remember them no more.

The Lord Opens Hearts

Because of our sinful nature, the Lord opens hearts to respond to the gospel of Christ. The Spirit of grace enables us to respond freely to the gospel. In conversion, we respond to the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14). These words speak of Lydia, a woman who worshiped God but had not yet heard the gospel to believe in Christ. God opened her heart to hear and respond to the gospel. The word "heart" describes our mind, will, and emotions. It is a term for our innermost person.

God's Spirit of grace goes before conversion opening hearts to hear the gospel and choose to receive Christ (John 1:12-13). It may be identified with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11). It is the gospel call for you to trust the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13). The Spirit of God opens your heart to convince you concerning the truth of the gospel.

Your heart is opened to hear and understand the gospel. He enables you to respond freely to the call of Christ. God works concurrently with your choice. Jesus stands at the door of your life and knocks. You may open the door by believing the gospel to receive Christ (Revelation 3:20; John 1:12).

Christ Is Our Election

Christ is our election unto salvation from eternal judgment. Christ is our deliverance from condemnation. Election is God the Father's choice to save sinners in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6). Reprobation is the opposite of election. It is the reprobate's choice to reject God's salvation in Christ (John 3:18).

Christ is our election by God's grace. He saves us from the condemnation of our sin. God's grace is his goodness, leading us to repentance (Romans 2:4). The reprobate chooses to obstinately reject the goodness of God's grace in Christ. 

Christ is our election confirmed through faith (2 Peter 1:1,10); reprobation is confirmed through continual rejection of Christ. Election gives mercy to sinners through Christ crucified (Romans 5:8). Christ risen from the dead brings justification to sinners by faith alone (Romans 4:5; 10:9). The reprobate is hardened in his own sin that rejects Christ forever. 

Christ is our election by God's active will to save us as believers. Reprobation is God's passive will to let others continue in their sin and unbelief. Election is the will of God in Christ (1 Peter 1:1-2). Reprobation is the will of man in sin (John 5:40).

Christ is our election in salvation to the praise of God's glory. God saves us by faith in Christ to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6). God passively allows those who are reprobate to reject Christ unto their own just condemnation (John 3:19).