Fervent in Spirit, Serving the Lord. Romans 12.11. SERVING THE LORD THROUGH THE SPIRIT. Hebrews 9.14. It was through the Eternal Spirit that Christ offered Himself without spot to God. Spiritual Service must be operated by the Holy Spirit. 1. CHRIST WORKED THROUGH THE SPIRIT. Matt.12.28. When they accused him of casting out devils by Beelzebub, the Lord answered, "BUT if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you." Luke 4.14, 21. Luke, describing our Lord's ministry in Galilee, says, "And Jesus returned IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT into Galilee; and there went out a fame of Him through all the region about. Acts 10.38. Peter speaking in the house of Cornelius said, "How God had anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and Power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; FOR GOD WAS WITH HIM. This aspect of our Lord's work on earth is testified to by the prophet Isaiah:- Isaiah 11.1-2. "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD SHALL REST UPON HIM, the spirit of Counsel and Might, the spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord." Isaiah 42.1-7. "Behold my SERVANT, whom I uphold; mine elect in whom my soul delighteth; I HAVE PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM; He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles etc." Isaiah 61.1-2. "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." JESUS CHRIST CAME TO DO THE WORK OF THE FATHER AND TO PROCLAIM THE WORDS OF THE FATHER. IN ALL THIS HE OPERATED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. SERVING GOD IS A SPIRITUAL WORK. Christ offered Himself. The Early Church FIRST GAVE THEMSELVES. Romans 12.1. Encapsules the PASSION OF THE SPIRIT. The English Translation says - "which is your reasonable service." The Italian Translation says - which is your SPIRITUAL service. Reasonable is used in the sense of rational = performed with heart and mind and soul. This can only be done IN A SPIRITUAL MANNER - BY THE ETERNAL SPIRIT. 2. PAUL WORKED THROUGH THE SPIRIT. His ministry is analysed by Paul himself in 1 Corinthians 2. As you read the chapter you will discover that his was a Holy Ghost Ministry. ANY SERVICE WE OFFER TO GOD MUST BE BY THE SPIRIT. NOTE Paul's description of his ministry to the Corinthians:- a/ Vs.4. WHAT HE HAD AVOIDED FROM THE BEGINNING. Preaching with the enticing words of man's wisdom. Using persuasive Doctrines of Human Wisdom. NEW DOCTRINES seem to be propagated every week in our generation. Mainly they are the product of Human Reasoning - applied psychology - Psuedo- spirituality. The product of Human Logic without the TOUCH and MOVING of the Eternal Spirit. TRUTH IS UNCHANGING AND UNCHANGEABLE. Paul was determined NOT TO USE any of the means used by great orators to sway men. Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He had sat at the feet of Gamaliel. Great teachers produce great preachers - BUT IN THE SERVICE OF GOD THE OPERATION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO THE IMPARTATION OF DIVINE REVELATION. Paul says that his preaching was IN DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT AND OF POWER. He very clearly and emphatically gives the reason why this is so in Verse 5. "That your faith should not stand in the WISDOM OF MEN but in THE POWER OF GOD." Here is a highly trained theologian, a highly skilled orator, setting aside those natural abilities TO BE LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND USED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, to do the work that God had called him to do. Next to our Lord Jesus Christ, he was probably God's greatest ambassador in the days of the Early Church. BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS WITH EVERY BELIEVER. b/ Vs.6. AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION. "We speak wisdom among them that are perfect." PERFECT = mature - full grown - as adults - thoroughly instructed - deeply experienced. Three times Paul makes a special comparison during his analysis of his work for God when he came to Corinth. In this verse he says:- NOT THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD BUT THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY. The WISDOM OF THIS WORLD is natural, carnal wisdom. The rulers of this world knew nothing of the REVELATION which was to come by the Gospel of Christ. Natural man is incapable of accepting Spiritual Truth. Therefore Paul SERVED GOD on a different level - THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY. NOTE what Peter says in 1 Peter 1.10-13. How prophets enquired and searched diligently. "The preaching of the Gospel WITH THE HOLY GHOST SENT DOWN FROM HEAVEN was the wisdom of God wrapped up in a MYSTERY. Even Angels were amazed by the wonderful plan of Redemption. Even NOW THEY see revealed the wonderful wisdom of God in His work of Grace and Truth in the Church. The COMPLETE REVELATION will be when JESUS CHRIST RETURNS FOR HIS CHURCH. The wisdom of God in a Mystery BUT OPERATED BY THE POWER OF THE ETERNAL SPIRIT. We are engaged in the most vibrant, living, active, forceful, task of all the Ages - SERVING GOD IN OUR GENERATION. Vs.9. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, NEITHER HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN, the things God hath prepared for them that love Him." BUT GOD HATH REVEALED THEM BY HIS SPIRIT." c/ Vss.12-13. Paul makes another comparison:- NOT THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD BUT THE SPIRIT WHICH IS OF GOD. Paul argues that THE SPIRIT OF MAN knows the things of man. A man's intellect, mind, and will enable him to know those things. BUT NO MAN KNOWS THE THINGS OF GOD EXCEPT BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD. By the spirit of this world we can never hope to discover nor operate the things of God. When we receive the Spirit of God we discover the things which are freely given us of God. THESE ARE THE THINGS WE SPEAK OF. But then Paul uses the NOT - BUT comparison again;- d/ Vs.13. NOT IN THE WORDS WHICH MAN'S WISDOM TEACHES BUT WHICH THE HOLY GHOST TEACHES. He compares the words of men's wisdom with the words of the Holy Spirit's wisdom. This enables us to compare spiritual things with spiritual. PUTTING TOGETHER - to interpret the things of the Spirit of God. e/ Vs.14. THE NATURAL MAN - THE SPIRITUAL MAN. The natural man is sensual - depraved - and spiritual things are foolishness to him. The spiritual man lives under the control of the Holy Spirit. See Colossians 1.9. ...."That ye might be filled with the knowledge of HIS WILL in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." f/ Vs.15. THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATURAL & SPIRITUAL. He that is spiritual judges all things. He looks at everything - He carefully examines all things - NOT suspiciously BUT spiritually. Vs.16. The natural man cannot know the mind of God. The spiritual man MINDS the same things as Christ did - TO SERVE HIS FATHER. HE CAME TO DO THE FATHER'S WILL. 3. THE POWER OF THE ETERNAL SPIRIT. Acts 1.3. "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. You will have noticed that the word power occurs often when referring to the HOLY SPIRIT. This POWER is not to be confused with natural or carnal power. OUR LORD PROMISED THE POWER WHICH COMES WITH THE ETERNAL SPIRIT. POWER = DUNAMIS = inherent power capable of reproducing itself as in a dynamo. THE DUNAMIS. a/ POWER LATENT. Dunamis is the word from which we get our word dynamo. The dynamo was much used in motor cars, now we use alternators, but the same principle is applied. Movement produces power...whilst there is no movement there is no power production. MARK 16.20. Mark is the Gospel of ACTION. Everything moves quickly in his book. The last verse is very revealing;- "And they went forth, and preached everywhere, THE LORD WORKING WITH THEM, and confirming the WORD with signs following. Amen." When they began to move - God moved. When they worked - God worked with them. We must learn more about the DUNAMIS. Its first principle is that it is a LATENT POWER capable of REPRODUCING ITSELF. IT IS ALWAYS THERE, and reveals itself immediately there is action. So many people are WAITING FOR GOD TO MOVE. WHEN YOU MOVE, GOD WILL MOVE. The Power will always be provided. YOU WORK in the will of God - GOD WILL work with you. WORK BY THE SPIRIT - the Spirit will produce the DUNAMIS. b/ POWER POTENT. There is no measure of the Power of the Spirit. Someone said that the measure of God's Love is Love without measure. I would like to apply the same thought to the power of the Eternal Spirit; THE MEASURE OF THE SPIRIT'S POWER IS POWER WITHOUT MEASURE. Our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ had the Spirit without measure (John 3.34.) ALL POWER WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM. Read the vision of the Living Creatures in Ezekiel 10. In Verse 13 the wheels are personified, "As for the wheels it was cried unto them in my hearing, 'O WHEEL!'" IN THOSE WHEELS WAS THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING CREATURE. Vs.17. Read the chapter again and again until you get the sense of spiritual power that is embodied there. TO MOVE WE NEED THE WHEELS AND WHAT WAS IN THE WHEELS. If only our eyes were open to the POTENTIAL OF A SPIRIT FILLED PEOPLE. THE TASK IS GREAT - OUR GOD IS GREATER. POWER WITHOUT MEASURE IS OURS FOR THE TASK. c/ POWER INSTANT. Every motorist knows there are times when you need to wait for your engine to warm up, before you get the full potential. If we had to wait for the DYNAMO (Alternator)to warm up, we would have to wait a long time. The early cars had a starting handle. Some people are spiritually at the starting handle stage. DUNAMIS is power INSTANT. You do not have to wait for its operation. With the very first turn the POWER is there. We are living in the INSTANT AGE. I am as aware as you are that our Lord instructed His disciples to stay at Jerusalem AND WAIT FOR THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER. BUT having received the DUNAMIS, there was no more tarrying - they began to operate, and as they moved, God moved with them. DON'T MOVE TILL YOU GET IT. DON'T STOP WHEN YOU'VE GOT IT. d/ POWER CONSTANT. God has placed at our disposal for the purpose of serving Him, a DUNAMIS which is greater than the SUN which gives us daily light. IT IS A LAW OF PHYSICS concerning power, that the supply is constant if the source remains the same. Our God is a God in whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning. He is the same today as he was the first day of Creation. His Power remains infinite and undiminished. WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER WAS THE DUNAMIS OF THE ETERNAL SPIRIT. For our work for God we have a constant and undiminishing, unfailing, unending Power. YE SHALL RECEIVE THE DUNAMIS AFTER THAT THE HOLY GHOST IS COME UPON YOU. We have the message. WE HAVE THE COMMISSION. WE HAVE THE POWER. BUT have we surrendered our will to God ?. My son, go and work. WORK IN THE DUNAMIS OF THE ETERNAL SPIRIT. FOLLOW YOUR MASTER - GIVE YOURSELF BY THE ETERNAL SPIRIT. Copyright (c) 1996, Hedley Palmer. All rights reserved. ----------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/hpalmer/snotes: serve-3.txt .