When He Is Come - Media Sabda Org

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WHEN HE IS COME by Joshua Stauffer Chapter 10 FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). The text is a double command. One is negative and the other positive. Temperance workers make great use of the negative command, or "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess," but little is said concerning the positive command, "Be filled with the Spirit." Becoming drunk with wine is a sin of commission, and failing to be filled with the Spirit is a sin of omission. A person may obey the fore part and neglect the latter part. However, if he will obey the latter part, that is, "be filled with the Spirit," he will automatically keep the fore part. Being filled with the Spirit will positively benefit Christ, the believer, and everybody with whom he comes in contact. A person may be temperate, yet not be spiritual, but if he will be filled with the Spirit, he will be temperate and spiritual. A person who is not filled with the Spirit is like a vessel that is empty. I. Christ Needs Vessels for His Household Every home needs vessels of various types for different purposes. Vessels are essential to the maintenance of the home, for preparing meals, for serving meals, and for purposes of cleanliness, and even in the cleansing of other vessels. The home that is not supplied with various types of vessels is handicapped. The kingdom of God is likened to a household and the Lord as the Householder. Paul wrote to Timothy, "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor." Christ needs vessels for His household. II. We Are the Vessels He Desires Paul went on to say, "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour." From this statement we learn that men are vessels. In the building up of His kingdom, the preaching of the gospel, and in bringing men to Christ, the Lord employs men, Spirit-filled men. They are the vessels He desires. The high honor of evangelizing has not been given to angels, but to men. It has been suggested that if the call were given to angels to evangelize, heaven would be empty in less than five minutes, and all angels would be delivering the good news of salvation to perishing men. Angels perform a great ministry in the unseen in being "ministering spirits" to those who are heirs of salvation. The great privilege of preaching the gospel has been delegated to men. We belong to the Lord. He has purchased us by His blood. We are the vessels He desires to use. Since everyone has a will and possesses the power of choice, the admonition of Paul should be cheerfully obeyed, that is, "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." To present ourselves to the Lord means to place ourselves at His hand, to be yielded to Him, to be near Him so that He may lay His hand on us and employ us in His service.
III. The Vessels Unto Honor The Lord needs vessels and we are the vessels He needs, but before He will employ us, we must be presented, cleansed, and filled. "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work" (II Tim. 2:21). A vessel that is purged and sanctified (set apart for holy uses) is a "vessel unto honour." This means that the vessel is clean, fit for use, and in its place where it may be used. It is quite immaterial what the material of the vessel is, just so it is clean, and in its place where it will daily serve its purpose. A vessel of gold may be treasured very highly and set on a shelf hidden from view where the dust gathers on it and never be used. On the other hand, a tin cup may be hanging by a fountain at the roadside, where hundreds of weary and thirsty travelers pass by and are refreshed by its use. This is a vessel of honor. It has the honor of being employed daily. It serves a useful purpose. So it is with men. The man who is not presented, not cleansed, but setting on a shelf is not a vessel of honor. The man that is presented to the Lord, cleansed, in his place, filled with the Spirit, and full of the rivers of living waters, will be "meet for the Master's use," a vessel unto honor, and many will be refreshed through him. IV. The Emptying of Ourselves Before the filling of the Spirit, there must be a cleansing, and before there can be a cleansing, there needs to be an emptying. Before one family can move into a house, the former occupants must vacate, move out, and take all their possessions with them. For one family to move into the house of another whose furniture is in place, who have their own regulations, would lead to confusion and friction. The house needs to be empty so the new occupants may clean it before they occupy it. We are the house, and before the Holy Spirit comes in to fill us, there must come the emptying of the house for His indwelling. This is our part. We are to move all things out and vacate. There must be a self-emptying before there will be a God-filling. The emptying process includes emptying all of our own righteousness, our own wisdom, our strength, our will, our plans, our own ambitions, and our own ways. There can be no reservation, not even one shelf behind the door where some seemingly innocent things may be reserved. When the Holy Spirit comes in to abide, to make His permanent home with us, there must be a complete emptying of self so that He may completely and eternally have His way, arrange all on the inside to His liking, and make everything in our lives conform to God's will and holiness. This emptying process is equivalent to that which God demanded in the Old Testament when on several occasions He said to His people, "Sanctify yourselves." Sanctification means to separate, that is, from all that is evil, from good-self, and to be set apart for holy purposes, for God's use, and glory. V. The Cleansing Process Before the Spirit comes in to dwell, He will cleanse the vessel. This cleansing is not to be considered as an experience in itself, nor as independent of the filling. Regeneration is but one work of grace, being wrought instantaneously, and is twofold in its nature (even including a negative and a positive work, that is, the forgiveness of sins which saves from going to hell, and the impartation of divine life, which saves to go to heaven). In the experience of sanctification, which is one work
Page 1 and 2: WESLEYAN HERITAGE Library WHEN HE I
Page 3 and 4: WHEN HE IS COME by Joshua Stauffer
Page 9 and 10: infirmities. He is well qualified t
Page 11 and 12: esurrected life of Christ and impar
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 23 and 24: will do for each of us all we will
Page 25 and 26: Then the Holy Spirit is omniscient.
Page 29 and 30: "Judgment" here refers to convictio
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 47: flesh and humanity; the brass, that
Page 53 and 54: tongue (if only a few words) is an
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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
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Page 97 and 98: One time a child was lost and inqui
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The baptism with the Holy Spirit do
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A sinner attended a revival meeting
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to be the disposition of every man
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II. Quenching the Holy Spirit "Quen
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ought Christ down to the depth of S
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of trouble when he prophesied, "I w
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earnest" of our inheritance. The "e
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the blowing of the wind upon those
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order, beauty, and arrangement, mak
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II. The Spirit's Ministry in the Ol
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one with Him, Christ will do it thr
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When He Is Come - Media Sabda Org

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