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- Herausgeber: Bible Study Books
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Sprache: Englisch
The Works of the Holy Spirit is one message of faith and hope for the Christains all around the World. In this blessed text Horatius Bonar invites us to know more about the Holy Spirit through a profound study of the Holy Bible in the Old and New Testaments. A book that will bring growth and knowledge about faith, and invite him to live with greater intimacy with Holy Spirit.
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Seitenzahl: 127
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017
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SUMMARY
The Works of the Holy Spirit as Recorded in the Old Testament
God has lately been sending showers of His Spirit upon many dry places of Scotland. He has “caused waters to run down like rivers”. Psa 78:16
At such a time, therefore, it is specially needful for us to remember the words of the Lord, “Them that honor me I will honor”. 1Sa 2:30
For how bitter would be our regret, and how awful our guilt, if we were to grieve Him by neglect. Reader, may the Lord keep you from this sin, lest you should have to mourn it all your after days bewailing the heavens over you as brass, and no souls converted, none of your friends awakened, love waxed cold among the saints, your own soul become like Pharaoh’s ears of corn, “thin, and withered, and blasted with the east wind” (Gen 41:23).
In order, therefore, to honor the Spirit, you must know His workings. It is written concerning Him, “Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him” (Joh 14:17). Yet after all, how many even among believers are there who know Him too little. Hence they give Him but little honor.
Oh, then come, and see what mighty wonders He has wrought in the earth. Let us begin with His works as recorded in the Old Testament; and for the sake of distinctness, we shall divide these into seven periods.
A. First Period: The Creation The Holy Spirit, as one of the Persons of the glorious Godhead, created the heavens and the earth. The sea, the sky, the earth, and even man himself, were His work. He removed the waters from the face of the solid earth, and gathered them into their beds. “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen 1:3). He moved the vast unwieldy volume of the immense ocean, and put it in its place. Soon it became a calm expanse a sea of glass in an unfallen world reposing in clear purity. Above this ocean He adorned the sky; “By his Spirit he garnished the heavens” (Job 26:13). He put every planet and star in its orb and station; and it is He who upholds them there. He garnished the sky for man’s sake.
The beautiful clouds of sunset “the spreadings and balancings of his clouds” (Job 36:29; 37:16) the deep blue sky at noon, and the bright stars seen in the clear night, all were the work of the Spirit. This earth too was adorned by Him, as even now this is His work; “Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth” (Psa 104:30). It is He who, even in our fallen world, brings verdure over the earth when winter is past, drawing forth anew from the soil in the season of spring, all that is nourishing, and all that is pleasant to the eye of man.
And by this annual specimen of His work on earth, we may infer what was the glory of the unfallen creation, and what will be the glory of earth restored, when, by this same Spirit, “the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon” (Isa 35:2). He prepared man’s dwelling the heavens over his head shining with unfallen glory, the sea within his view reflecting the splendor of the sky and itself full of wonders, while the earth scattered its wealth in profusion for his enjoyment.
And when all things were thus ready, He created man; “the Spirit of God hath made me” (Job 33:44). (1) Reader, were you ever well nigh despairing? Were you ever saying, that none cared for your troubled soul? Behold, the Holy Ghost! He has specially to do with the spirits of men! Behold His love to man! The interest felt in unfallen man by the Spirit was not less than that felt by the Son and the Father. (2) Learn the beauty of holiness. For if the beauty of the unfallen creation in its external aspect was so perfect, infinitely more excellent will be that wrought in the inner man. For the external beauty was in a manner only the by-work of the Spirit; whereas, the adorning of the inner man is His peculiar operation.
Judge by this how glorious He will make the soul that receives Him. (3) What a mighty creating Spirit is He! How easily, then, He could renew you, Reader, if you are still unconverted. Conversion is creation-work; “Create in me a clean heart” (Psa 51:10); and here is He who can accomplish it.
Or, are you troubled? The Spirit who brought order out of confusion making hills take their proper place and seas move to their bed, heaving at His pleasure the unwieldy mass of deep waters He it is who can bring you to rest.
As He cleared the face of the sky, cleaving asunder the thick darkness, and showing “the body of heaven in its clearness,” so He can dispel your clouds, and show you the glory of God in the face of Jesus.
B. Second Period: The Fall We are sure that the Holy Spirit felt the awful ruin of man. He is “grieved” (Eph 4:30) at each individual sin. Oh, then, how deep must have been His feeling when He saw the floodgate of all sin opened! And as He had been the agent in communicating to unfallen man the love of the Godhead, so now it grieved Him to withdraw from His office. But after all we find Him not forsaking man.
We find His regenerating and converting work made known the very day that Adam fell. In the promise that conveyed the glad tidings of the Redeemer, the work of the Holy Spirit was contained; “I will put enmity between thee and the woman; and between thy seed and her seed” (Gen 3:15). In this “enmity” to Satan, lies the whole principle of regeneration.1 We have here a statement of conversion, and that too, in its connection with the work of Christ.
By means of the work of Christ, the Spirit works in the fallen man: love to God, and enmity to the devil and his seed. (1) Thus the doctrine of regeneration was taught in Eden. It is an old truth, and so important, that it is found among the first principles of redemption. (2) There is need of the entrance of God, the Holy Ghost, to enable man to escape from Satan. Satan holds the sinner fast. Look at Satan’s undisputed dominion hell! See how awfully fast every unsaved soul is secured! None escape from it; they have chains that never break, fetters that never snap—and a hand grasps them that none can unclasp but the Spirit of Christ!
(3) The Holy Spirit, in delivering a soul, brings it to side completely with Christ and His cause. “I will put enmity.” The man cannot any longer hesitate about his choice. He becomes decided. Instead of a lingering love to the world and Satan’s tempting offers, his soul is in the state of “enmity” towards these instruments of his ruin.
C. Third Period: The Flood The Holy Spirit had often entered into souls and saved them by pointing to a promised Savior. He had breathed on Enoch the spirit of prophecy, that man might know more fully of a coming Savior. He preserved a record of His love to men, by keeping Enoch’s words in the memory of the fathers, and at last inserting them for our use in the Epistle of Jude. But as the wickedness of man increased, His love began to be more strikingly seen just as the brightness of a beacon-light is best seen when darkness has covered the sky. It is worthy of our notice that at every new crisis the Spirit comes into full view. We shall see this verified in every after period, and it proves to us that He was all along traversing the ways of God to man. We find the Holy Spirit before the flood, “striving with men” (Gen 6:3).
The Holy One strove even with the giants that were on the earth in those days, and with monsters of iniquity! He strove, and they resisted during 120 years. So unwearied, so patient was His love! And it was He who raised up and qualified Noah to preach salvation, and enabled him all that long period to persevere amidst the mockery of the whole earth! For 1 Peter 3:19 tells us that this same Holy Spirit, who afterwards showed His love to man by quickening Jesus, was in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, sent by Jesus to enable Noah to testify to that wicked generation—who are now “spirits in prison,” cast into hell, because they would not hear the call. The object of His “striving with men,” was to lead them to righteousness that they might be saved. For He foresaw the terrors of the flood, and the more awful terrors of hell into which the flood would sweep them. He heard, though it was yet distant, their cry of woe, and He strove with them. He strove with old men and little children, young men and maidens; and yet they resisted Him and perished.
1. Here is an awful fact; the Spirit strives with many whom He does not convert. How this should be so we are not told; for He could as easily overcome as strive. But the fact is beyond a doubt, and its very mystery makes it more tremendously impressive. If you read the Bible and are not converted, you resist the strivings of the Spirit; for Hebrews 3:7 shows you that He speaks in every verse. When you hear Christ preached and are not moved, you are exactly as 1 Peter 3:19 represents the men before the flood. And Stephen declares that opposers of the truth are in the act of continual resistance to the Holy Ghost. How awful! A silent contest, spirit against Spirit! The spirit of man against the Spirit of God.
2. Notice the times when He specially strives. We saw He did so under Noah’s preaching, and He does so still. But His reason for special striving by very powerful ministers is, because a flood is coming on you. It may be an intimation of calamity near to our land that He has raised up some to preach with special power, for He strives specially before any calamity comes. Reader, perhaps before you are to be overtaken by some sore trouble or wasting sickness, God is striving with your soul! That alarming passage that you last read, may be sent to arouse you now, because the billows of a flood are almost already wetting your feet.
3. Learn the object of all the Spirit’s strivings. It is in His deep love to draw you to righteousness. No doubt He enabled Noah to persuade with great earnestness, and to show the place of safety, to describe the ark and its security, impenetrable by water, proof against the dashing billows. Just as now He enables His ministers—in prospect of the fiery deluge, when the gates (instead of “the windows”) of heaven shall be wide opened to let the flood pour along to urge sinners to flee. He it is that enables them, for your sake, Reader, to set forth the full provision made for sinners in Christ; to tell you that there is an ark ready, if you will only be pleased with it and go in a Savior ready, with whom the Father is well pleased, and with whom He wishes you to be satisfied, as He is Himself. If you believe your danger, and that an ark with an open door is offered you, surely you will enter in.
4. Ministers learn that their strength lies, like Noah’s, in being upheld by the Spirit. They are raised up by the Spirit to testify of Christ, the ark.
5. Behold the immensity of the Holy Spirit’s love! He visits thousands upon thousands! Even as at Pentecost, in after days, He displayed His love by coming on some from all kindreds and people.
D. Fourth Period: First Centuries after the Flood Earth was peopled again, and the Spirit did not forsake the place where He had striven before. The confusion of tongues at Babel was His work, as one of the Persons of the Godhead, like the gift of tongues at Jerusalem. His love is herein seen, inasmuch as He thus took direct means to bring down man’s pride, breaking up their company and in this way leading them to feel their weakness and folly. He wished to stem the torrent of sin.
And then He exhibited His marvelous power, by setting apart individuals, and keeping them safe amidst an apostate generation. He formed such a character as Abraham, full of faith like a lofty pillar erect on a desolate heath. He gave Joseph His holiness and discretion, so that Pharaoh said, “The Spirit of God is in him” (Gen 41:38). It is probable, also, that about this time Job was kept separate in a heathen land—a monument of the work of the Holy Spirit, in opposition to the “spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph 2:2). In him “the enmity” between Satan and the woman’s seed was eminently displayed. And Job knew the Spirit who preserved and sanctified him; for he often speaks of His works.
1. Believers, learn from this the immense power of the Spirit. You see He can keep a spark alive amidst the ocean, [like for example] Joseph in Egypt. As there is immense power manifested in regeneration, so also in the preservation of the regenerated—as you find spoken of in the New Testament, “The exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe” (Eph 1:19). Never despond! If you are tried by friends, or “by iniquity at your heels, compassing you about” (Psa 49:3), yet remember the power of the Holy Ghost as an agent of the Godhead. It will glorify Him the more to keep you safe. 2. Sinner, you cannot excuse yourself by saying that you are hedged in by insuperable barriers, that your situation makes it impossible for you to obey God. It may be you are tempted by being rich; or if poor, you are on that account tried with the prospect of temporal ruin if you are to be on God’s side.
