Rooted in Spirit: The Power of the Gospel

"God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit or in my spirit now that's that's a most important statement that was the way in which the Apostle rendered his service it wasn't something external it wasn't detached it was in his spirit and we try to look together at the full content of that most important statement all service of God should always be in or with our spirits." [00:01:49]

"The Apostle Paul as the servant of Jesus Christ as one who serves God in his Spirit was not interested in anything unless it came under that heading that's the first thing we have to notice we remember don't we how he tells the Corinthians in the first epistle in the second chapter in the second verse I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified." [00:03:36]

"The church is not a general cultural institution it is no part of the business of the Church to teach men literature or history or philosophy or sociology or any one of these many other subjects now let's be quite clear about this I am not saying that there is no value in those subjects there is what I am contending is that it's no part of the business of the Christian church to provide them." [00:06:21]

"The business of the church specifically peculiarly is to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified the church like the great Apostle should be should have determined not to know anything save Jesus Christ and him crucified now I'm emphasizing this because more and more am I convinced that it was the failure of the church to realize this towards the end of the last century and in the early years of this Century that largely accounts for the present state of the Christian church." [00:07:04]

"The gospel of his son doesn't merely mean evangelism and I think you'll all agree that this needs to be emphasized at the present time I think there's a real danger at the present moment that all the energy of the church should be given to evangelism is anybody misunderstanding that and does anybody think I'm saying there should be no evangelism I'm saying the exact opposite all I'm saying is that the activity of the church shouldn't be only Evangelistic." [00:10:25]

"Teaching or all that comes in under this category indeed let me put it like this all the profound doctrines of this epistle to the Romans come under the heading of the Gospel of his son now I don't think I'm making an artificial point I'm making it because uh people often give me the impression that they think that if you talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ it's simply the Evangelistic message no no it's the all message all is the good news from beginning to end and everything must be taken in here." [00:11:28]

"The Apostle Paul was conscious of great spiritual Power Within himself now again he says that doesn't he in writing to the Corinthians 1 Corinthians chapter 2 again he's not going to preach he tells them and didn't preach with enticing words of men's wisdom but rather in demonstration of the spirit and of power and he was conscious of that he writes to the Thessalonians and in his first epistle to them and in the first chapter and in the fifth verse he says it like this our word came unto you the gospel came unto you he says not in word only but in power in the Holy Ghost and in much Assurance." [00:18:25]

"Without this power we are Advocates and not Witnesses and we are called to be Witnesses it's true of all of us not only the preacher but the individual Christian in all associations in life it is the same power that is available to all and without it our words are ineffective but that's only the first thing because I see something else he is aware I say not only that he has this power of the spirit within him he knows that he can establish L them he knows that he can build them up he tells them that he wants to see them because he knows he can do that and because he wants to do it." [00:21:14]

"The Apostle nowhere teaches that he's got the power to give people particular gifts what he says in 1 Corinthians 12 is that the Holy Spirit dispenses the gifts as he Wills in a sovereign manner it isn't Paul who can do it it's the spirit that does it and nowhere has he the power to give particular gifts but in any case again he cannot mean that I because he's talking about establishing them and surely his whole argument in 1 Corinthians 12 is this that the possession of those particular gifts far from establishing the people in the church at Corinth was having the exact opposite effect it was causing them to be puffed up and to be envious and jealous and to make a great display of them that isn't the way to establish people." [00:31:06]

"Every single New Testament epistle has been written in order to stabilize people to establish them to ground them to root them and it's by the doctrines the teaching the exposition that that is done and it is as true today as it was in the early ages of the church listen to Paul again putting it to the Elders of the church at Ephesus and now Brethren he says I commend you to go God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are Sanctified it's the word of his grace alone can do that nothing else can build us up it isn't entertainment we need it's truth it's knowledge it's Doctrine it's the truth the doctrines of this great epistle and all the other Epistles it is as we know them and and rarely have appropriated them that we shall be stable and dependable reliable able to detect error and heresy and to see the specious things that pass as gospel without being carried away and without being deluded." [00:39:44]

"Understanding the doctrine is a process and it takes time the scriptures must be studied I say again you can't do a sort of cooks tour of the New Testament you can't Gallop through these Epistles you can't rush through them a chapter at a time don't you see the doctrine that we are discovering don't you see these great vital truths that are emerging everywhere these are the things the Apostle wants to speak about in Rome it is only a deep and thorough knowledge of the word that will give us I say true stability." [00:41:19]

"The Apostle Paul is only able to make that statement because of all the things that he has said before he arrives at that statement that is the conclusion of the mighty argument about justification and sanctification and glorification that's the end of a syllogism you can't start with it you end with it and you will never be able to say that from your heart unless you really know experimentally these great doctrines you must know them with your mind you must experience them that's why Paul wanted to go to Rome to tell them all this that's the spiritual gift he's got to impart the Holy Spirit had given him special understanding he was a man well vered in the Old Testament scriptures Christ had revealed himself to him he spent his years in Arabia he has the doctrine the prophecy of Christ about the coming of the spirit and the knowledge he give to the apostles is being verified in him he's an inspired teacher and he wants to pour out this not this knowledge this Doctrine this information I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that you may be established." [00:42:40]