We're looking at the Spirit once again. My goal in this is for you to reflect on who the Spirit is and understand better what it is that He does. Today, we look at a passage of Scripture that has been used to explain why some people get the Gospel while others don't. My intention in looking at this passage is not to look at our past and what the Spirit did back then so that we got the Gospel. Rather, it is to look at our future and what the Spirit will do in us and with us.
In the text that I read to you Paul wrote, 'The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.' The natural person doesn't get it. In fact, he can't get it. He can't because the things of God are Spiritually discerned. That is, it takes the Holy Spirit to understand these things. It takes the Spirit to understand the Gospel. But on the other hand, Paul writes, 'Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.' The spiritual person, that is, the person in whom the Spirit has done His work, does get it. He understands the Gospel and believes it. The Spirit makes the Gospel real to a person and that's why He believes it. That's why he entrusts himself to Jesus.
Now, let's look at all of that from a particular vantage point. It should be obvious that, say, some college student taking a course in religion could study the right books on the Gospel and pass some test on it with flying colors. Imagine overhearing him as he studies in the library. 'That religion test is coming. I've done all the assigned readings, and I think that I've got all that down pretty well. But I'd better go over that outline again just to be sure. So, what was that first point? Oh yeah, God is the creator of all things and He made all of this for Himself. Okay, I've got that down. What's next? Sin. Sin is rebelling against God as the creator. It is rejecting His authority. Okay, I've got that. Next - what was that third point? Something about Jesus. Jesus ... is the savior sent by God to rescue people from the justice due them for messing up, I mean sinning. All who believe what God says about Jesus as savior are forgiven all their sins. I think I've got that too.' Our religion student might take his exam the next day and get a really good grade. But, to use Paul's words, he still does not 'understand the things that have been freely given to us by God.' Paul is talking about something more profound than being able to recite the facts of the Gospel, even with some clarity. Something else is going on.
It is very important that this difference be clear. So, let me explain the difference this way. It's kind of like falling in love. Here's some young guy. He knows this young lady because they've taken some classes together. In fact, she was also a part of that group of students who crammed for the final together. It was a good thing that he spent all that time with the group. That's the only reason he did as well as he did when it came time to take the tests. So, if you asked him about that young lady he could probably tell you a few things about her: about how tall she is, color of hair, maybe even color of her eyes - though that might be pushing it. But that was last semester, and his thoughts were focused on advanced calculus at the time. But something happened recently. There was more study time together. But this time, instead of studying the class assignment he found that he was studying her. And now things are different. Now, he sees how the sun highlights her hair. Now, he notices that her eyes are so soft and inviting - and that they are a beautiful shade of hazel. Now, he notices that beneath the gentleness of her words there is a passion about things that she thinks important. Something has happened. The facts are still the same and yet, he sees them in an entirely different way. He's in love. The facts haven't changed, but it's obvious that he has.
It's the same way with the Gospel and the work of the Spirit. Let's go back to our religion student. And let's assume that something happens some time after his test on the Gospel. Let's assume that the Spirit did His work in this person's life. He gets the Gospel. The facts are the same. They haven't changed in the least. But he sees them differently. Let's listen again as he goes over that outline.
'What was that first point? God is the Creator and He has made all of this for Himself. God created all of this? Out of nothing? How did He do that? And He made it all for Himself? I guess that means that ... that He created me for Himself. I am here to do whatever He wants. I'm the creature. He's the Creator. Whoa!'
'Second point: sin. Sin is rebelling against God as the Creator. It is rejecting His authority. Oh my goodness! That's me. I'm a rebel. I've been rebelling against His authority. I've rejected the authority of the God who created me. Oh no. What is He going to do to me?'
'Oh wait! Third point: Jesus is the Savior sent by God to rescue people from the justice due them for messing up, for sinning. All who believe what God says about Jesus as Savior are forgiven all their sins. God sent Jesus to rescue me? Why would He do that? If I believe what God says about Jesus then I will be forgiven all my sins. All of them. All of them? All of them. That's amazing.'
Something is different. Something has changed. The facts are the same, but the person is different. We can't see what changed inside our student friend. We can't see the secret work of the Spirit in his heart. But we can see that something about this person has changed.
It's just like the young man who fell in love. When that happened to him, his priorities changed. Being with that special woman shot to the top of the list. His emotions were engaged in a way that they weren't before. Life feels different to him now. And he looks different to others. It's the same with our converted religion student now that the Spirit has done His work. His priorities are different. Jesus is now the priority of his life. His emotions are engaged. He is in awe of this Creator-Redeemer God. He is stunned by the joy of a forgiveness that covers all the evil and sadness of his sin. Life feels different to him now. And he looks different to others. The Spirit has done His work. 'Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.'
Our starstruck young man is fortunate that the young lady in question feels similarly. So they marry and establish a family. Fast forward a few years. Things have changed. Life has happened, with all its ups and downs. Our young couple are no longer quite so young. They still have a solid marriage, but the thrill of falling in love is no longer there. And they notice this at times - and wonder about it. But there are others in the same kind of situation who just accept this as how life works. 'After all', they tell themselves, 'you can't maintain that emotional pitch forever.' And so, the marriage remains, but the priorities have changed, and the emotions are not as engaged.
There are others, however, who take a different tack. They also understand that the emotions of new-found love don't last. But instead of accepting the myth that those feelings have to fade away, they see that such feelings can mature and develop into emotions of a kind that they could never have imagined when they were younger. The priorities have changed some, since there are more responsibilities, but, for them, what was on the top of the list is still on the top of the list. In the midst of all that has been added to life, she is still his priority. He is still her priority. And, yes, the emotions are not as electric as they once were. Instead, they are deeper and more profound. While the emotions of young love are ready for the sprint, the emotions of mature love continue the marathon, joyfully.
What I want you to see is that the same thing sometimes happens to a new faith. As the years go by, it's possible to settle for something not really like what it once was. The thrill of a new-found faith fades. 'After all', they tell themselves, 'you can't maintain that emotional pitch forever.' So, the relationship with Jesus remains, but the priorities are different and the emotions are not as engaged. I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be. In fact, I'm know that's not the way it's supposed to be. And just as there are ways to make sure that a new found love grows and develops into something deeper and much more profound, something that a young love could never have imagined, there are ways to make sure that a new-found faith - that love affair with Jesus - grows and develops into something deeper and much more profound, something that a young faith could never have imagined. Walking with Jesus after forty plus years isn't supposed to feel the same that it did when the relationship was but a few years old. It's supposed to be better and feel better. And I can tell you that, in my case, it is.
But how? That's the question, isn't it? How is a young faith, one that naively thinks it is ready to take on the world, transformed into something mature that actually can take on the world? The answer is simple. The answer is the Gospel. Remember, the Gospel is not complicated. It's simple. Not easy, but simple. Let me give you some Scripture to answer our question about 'how'. The first comes from our text. One more time: 'Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.' Making the Gospel real is the Spirit's work. He must act if we are to to know the things of God in that special way. But what He does is not just a one time event. His work in your soul is to be a life-long experience. So, we read this: 'And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.' The Spirit doesn't just do His work at the beginning of our walk with Jesus. It's up to Him to see it through to the end. It is His continuous work in the soul that takes a young faith and deepens it until it becomes a mature faith. But that then brings us to this: 'Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling...' The work of the Spirit is absolutely necessary. But that doesn't mean that we sit around, say a prayer every once in a while, and expect the Spirit to hit us with His magic wand. There is work for you to do. You need to pursue the Spirit. You need to pursue communion with Him if He is going to continue to make the Gospel real to you. There is something for you to do. So, let me encourage you to continue what you are doing. Pursue the Spirit as best you know how. Pursue communion with Him. This will bear fruit. Persevere in this and you will see things that you would never have expected.
Now, I'm sure that you have questions about this. And who knows, maybe the Spirit will bring me back to this to answer some of those questions. But He's given you more than enough to consider and mull over. And I sincerely hope that you will.
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