The Harmony of Being and Doing in Christ - Sermon Audio 2604

Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, Go, therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Welcome to Go Teach all nations, bringing you Christ's teachings through Australian and international speakers. And here is today's presenter, Pastor Wayne Humphries. SPEAKER B Heavenly Father, it is with great pleasure that we are able still to be able to gather together, to be able to open your word, to be able to share, to be able to hear the word spoken. And I pray, Lord, that your Holy Spirit will be given to us in great measure even as though we are in these different places, Lord, even if we were together, we know that there's nowhere that we can escape from your presence. And I would pray today that those who have gathered here faithfully on the Sabbath to take some time apart from the world to be able to hear your word spoken and to open their Bibles. I ask, Lord, that you will bless us as we spend this time in your Word this morning worshiping your name. Heavenly Father, might my words this morning be your words and not my own? Is my prayer in Jesus name, I ask it. Amen. Friends, you might have recognized from the advertising online that the title of my sermon this morning is Being question mark or Doing question mark. And it's an interesting way of expressing the contrast and the conflict and the harmony that can sometimes exist between faith, which is being and works, which is doing so. I want to share with you the results of a survey that went around Florida State University in 2011. And the person that was asking questions was asking of the university students asking this question, do you believe that you will go to heaven? A lot of the responses that came through were like this. Someone said to the answer to this question, yes, I am a really loving and caring person and I believe that I will go to heaven. Another one said, yes, everybody does. Another person answered this question, yes, because I haven't done anything really bad and everyone's a sinner. If I'm going to hell, then probably most people are. Another person responded to this question, do you believe that you will go to heaven? Yes, of course. God forgives us all. We make mistakes and we learn from them. We're not really bad people. Another person said, yes, because I do my best to live by what I have learned. Other person said, yes, I believe that I try to do the right thing. Do you believe that you will go to heaven? Another person replied and said, I believe those people who try to do what they believe is right will go to heaven based on that, yes, I think I will. Yes, because I think I do what is right and I live my life as a good person. Yes, I am a good person and I believe in God. Another person answered, yes, though I am not a what you would call a quote unquote good Christian, I believe that some of my personal values are like the Christian values. Since I hold these values very important, I have done the necessary things to receive passage to heaven. Friends, I'm listing the answers to this question to you for a very good reason. It is because that most of these answers, if not all of them, have had the word I in them very, very often. And the word Christ or the word Jesus or the word God. Less often they believe that what they do is what's going to get them to heaven. But friends, I'd like to share something with you. None of these responses are based on solid biblical fact. Not a single one of these answers. Or maybe some of them a little bit partially, but none of them are based on what the Bible actually tells us about the answer to this question. Do you believe that you will go to heaven? All of these responses are relating to two main concepts. What they believe they do, how they behave, how they act. They believe that they will go to heaven. This relationship between being and doing, or faith and works, the doing side takes a much higher prominent role than the being side. Now, in history, much debate has raged in the Christian world about this contrast between being and doing. Some people often write sermons and they say faith versus works, as though they're two things that are in conflict with each other. But I don't think that that's a very good way of representing the issue. And that's why I put it in question marks. Being question mark or doing question mark. The arguments that have been proffered by most folks enduring history and even today, this, that with the being argument, all we need to do is believe. All we need to do is believe in Jesus Christ and we will be saved. With the implication is that what we do does not matter. The other side of the argument is the doing argument. It is that what we do, it is our behavior that gets us into heaven. And what we actually believe or think within ourselves isn't really relevant. It's all about what we do. And some of you will recognize that as being salvation by works. Now, I don't want you to get me wrong. The Bible is clear that it is only by the grace and the merit of Jesus Christ that we do have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with him. But the Bible also tells us that we do have a responsibility that we must attempt to fulfill. A responsibility that is born not of our own effort, but as a result of the love for Jesus that grows within us when we recognize the sacrifice that he has made on our behalf. And I'm going to be drawing out that last statement a little bit more as we proceed through this sermon. So what does the Bible say regarding this conflict, this contrast? And I call it a conundrum because it does have question marks on it. How do these two relate to each other? Being and doing, faith and works? Do we go to heaven because of what we believe, or do we go because of what we do? Or is it a combination of the two? What. What does the Bible say? We have some examples in Scripture that I want to direct you to. So I hope you got your Bibles close by with you. Always bring your Bibles when you come to one of my sermons, because we will be looking at it in detail to find out what it says about any particular topic that I might be preaching about. And today we're going to be finding out what the Bible says with regard to being or doing on the doing side. We're going to have a look at some interesting verses. Let's go to Exodus chapter 20 and verses 1 to 20. Exodus, chapter 20 and verses 1 through 20. Now, those of you who are astute Bible students, and I know that there's many of you out here, will recognize that these are the passages where God lists out his ten commandments. Now, I'm not going to go through each one of them individually, but I want to point out something about these commandments, these listings, that is important because God is constantly saying, you must not have any other God before me. You must not. You must not make for yourself an idol. He is issuing a command. You must not bow down to them. This is what he is saying. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember to observe the Sabbath by keeping it holy. Honor your father and your mother. You must not kill. You must not commit adultery. All these laws, these commandments of God are framed around the concept of doing. God is saying to these people, you must do this, you must do that. God required his Israelites to obey his commandments. Now, many people are offended by this, and they throw the whole of the commandments out, saying they're not relevant anymore. It is the love of Jesus that saves us. But friends, is that the right thing to do? Each commandment is an injunction on the Hebrews to obey with action on their part. But I want you to notice something else. Right at the very beginning in verse one, God gives a reason as to why he wants his people to be obedient to him. And this is what he says. Verses one and two, I'm going to read to you now out of the new King James Version. And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, who bought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage. God is saying to them, this is what I have done for you. And so therefore, these things are what I want you to do for me. But there is something else implied there that we're going to be looking at in just a minute. Let's turn now to Leviticus, chapter 25 and verse 18. The book of Leviticus, chapter 25 and Verse 18. And we see these words written, which is God talking to his people. So you shall observe my statutes and keep my judgments and perform them, and you will dwell in the land in safety. You know, it's very rare when God issues a command for us to do something without associating it in some way with a benefit that we will receive should we do his will. You shall observe my statutes and keep my judgments and perform them. And you will dwell in the land in safety. God is saying to the, to the Hebrews, I want you to be obedient to me, to show your concern for me, my. Your actions. And I will respond in kind. You will dwell in your land in safety. So the result for the Hebrews of actually keeping this command or this requirement from God was food and safety. He was going to care for them like a mother hen might care for her own chicks. Do we see another example in the Old Testament of doing for God? Numbers, chapter 9, verses 22 and 23. Numbers, chapter 9, verses 22and 23. And I read these words, whether it was two days, a month, a year, that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey. But when it was taken up, they would journey. Now, we need to cast our minds back to when God was caring for the Hebrew children in the Sinai Desert. And he had a cloud of fire by night to give them light and a cloud by day so that they could be directed. And the cloud never left their sight from the time they left Egypt. And when the cloud stayed put, the children of Israel stayed put. And when the cloud moved, the children in obedience would move. As the cloud moved, the Hebrews would move their camp, which was not a minor undertaking. It was a Big undertaking when the Lord instructed with the cloud that they should move. Now, all these are examples of doing for God. And I know that there are many more that we could look at. But where was the salvation in this? But was this where their salvation was? In obedience? Were the people gaining obedience by being obedient to God? Were they working towards the obedience? Was it solely the obedience, the doing, that caused their salvation? What we need to do now is to consider another concept, that of being the other part of the equation, that of being for God. Or to put it another way, being like God. Our characters, you know, we're not called human doings, we're called human beings, which means we are to be as much as we are to do. Now, this concept of being, which is talking about the internalness of what we do, who we are, our personalities, our knowledge, our understanding, our decisions, our worldviews, all these types of things is diametrically opposed to. To doing. And yet both of them are connected. You can drive one while ignoring the other, or you can have the both of them in harmony. But being is diametrically opposed to doing. Yet we find in the following verses that we're going to look at now, there is a relationship. There is a relationship between being and doing, or as I mentioned before, a relationship between faith and works. Do we have examples in the Bible of being for God? Of being for God. Psalms chapter 119, verse 174. Psalms chapter 19, verses 174. Chapter 119 of the Psalms is the very middle chapter in the Bible, if you count by chapters. And Psalms 119 is all about the law of God. Psalms 119, verses 174. And I read these words, I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. So we see three concepts in here. The longing for salvation and the delighting in God's law. This implies that there is a relationship between being and doing. Because the psalmist is saying he is longing for God's salvation. He is longing for it, he's looking for it. He wants to experience it in his own life. And as a result of that longing of understanding the salvation that God has so richly provided for the Hebrews and for us today, this is a lesson for us today. We delight in keeping his law. We delight in keeping his law. Friends, turn with me to Matthew 5 and we're going to look at verses 17 to 19. This concept of this being, this delighting, you know that the object of a delight, to delight, to do something. You have a reason to do it. And it's a part of your being. So because you are delighting in something, you behave in a certain way as it is expression that delight. Matthew, chapter 5 and verse 17 to 19. And I want to share these words with you. Let me just make sure I've got them here on my little electronic bible. Matthew, chapter five and verse 17 to 19. And these are the words of Jesus himself when he said, do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle, by no means will pass from the law until all is fulfilled. Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great the kingdom of heaven. Jesus himself says he did not come to destroy, but he came to fulfill the law or the prophets. Now, many will argue that this idea of fulfill means that the law is done away with. Christ has become the completion of the law. But friends, this word fulfilled means something completely different. It means to keep. Now, I want to use an illustration to you. Let me suppose that I'm driving down the road in my car and I'm doing 70km an hour. But there is a sign on the side of the road that says I'm only allowed to do 60. Now, by driving along at 70 kilometers an hour, I'm actually not fulfilling the law. I'm not. I'm actually doing the opposite. I'm breaking the law. And so a policeman comes along and he says. He pulls me over and he says, excuse me, you were breaking the law. But I can say to him, yes, but I was doing 60 km an hour, which is a fulfillment of the law. And therefore the law doesn't apply to me anymore. What do you think the response of that policeman is going to be? He's going to say, no, to fulfill the law, I need to write you a ticket and rip it off and hand it to you and you can pay a fine. And when you've paid that fine, then the law is fulfilled. So can I argue with him and say, okay, when I pay that fine, does that mean the law no longer applies? Friends, the law is strengthened because I have been required to fulfill the law by paying the penalty for breaking it. Now, if I drive through that same space again next time, and this time I see the sign that says 60 kilometers an hour. And this time I do the 60 kilometers an hour. Does that mean I am breaking the law? Or does that mean I'm fulfilling the law? Of course it means I am fulfilling the law because I am keeping the law. And there will be no penalty for that. Jesus is saying here, he came to fulfill the law. He came to perfectly keep the law of God as a part of his being. Because we remember that the 10 commandment law that is expressed in the book of Moses is also an expression of the very character of God himself. Imagine what the world would be like if all of a sudden everybody decided to keep the law, the law of God. We would have no more need for police forces because no one would be breaking the law. There would be no murders, there would be no adulteries. Families would be brought back together because there'd be no lying, be no bearing of false witness. We wouldn't need lawyers in court anymore because everybody would be telling the truth. We wouldn't need armies between countries and a buildup of armaments because there would be no wars between each other. Friends would be coming together to be peaceful and kind and joyful to one another, rather than seeing the civil unrest and the protests and all the horrible things that we're seeing happening around the world today. Friends, the fulfillment of the law is what Christ came to do. And the law is there, not as a punishment, but it is because God wants us to be like him. That's what it's all about. So the point of this was Jesus fulfilling the law was to show us what a person could be like when they did keep the law of God. Jesus, entire life of sacrifice and service, of his being, his being, his state of mind, his heart, who he was, was a continual fulfillment of the law of love. So we see in the example of Jesus himself that his being and his doing were intimately connected because he loved God. In fact, he was God, and he came as a human to be like God, to show what a human being can achieve when they achieve the perfection of the image of God in their lives. And his doing reflected that because he kept the law of love and he had no harsh words for anyone. He did nothing nasty or cruel or vengeful to anyone. He only produced in his character the spirit of joy and love and peace and healing and hope for the future. This is the connection between being and doing. Jesus living a sinless life and then paying the death penalty that he did not deserve was the fulfillment of the law on two different levels. First of all, by his being, by who he was, by God filling him with his Holy Spirit. He fulfilled the law in his perfect life that he never sinned, he never broke the law. And then after that, he never broke the law. So he never needed to suffer the penalty of the law, as I was talking about with that driving issue a moment ago. But Christ, never having sinned, never broke the law. Then he decided to go on and suffer the death that is required as one who had broken the law. So he suffered the penalty for a crime that he never committed. He suffered death, which is the result of sin, for sins that he never committed. But friends, why did he do that? He did that as a substitute for us. He did that so he could apply the benefits of his life to us. And the only way he could do that was by applying the result of sin to himself. He paid the penalty that he did not deserve, and he did it on our behalf. So his being his likeness of the image of God in His human form on this earth resulted in his doing acts of love that we still contemplate today. Friends, I want to share another verse with you. John, chapter one and verse 17, the fourth book in the New Testament, the fourth gospel, John, chapter one and verse 17,. John, chapter one and verse 17. And I read these words. For the law was given through Moses, which is true. But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The law of the character of God, the law of love, was given through Moses. But the reality of the application of that law in the human life, in its perfection, was reflected through the grace and the truth that came through Jesus Christ. God in human flesh. Can we see this perfect blending of law and grace, this perfect blending of faith and works, this perfect blending of being and doing as we saw it in the life of Jesus Christ himself. The grace and truth found in Jesus Christ was perfectly complementary to the aspects of the law of God. Justice, which is law, which is doing, and mercy, which is grace or being, were met perfectly together in his life and also in his death. We can see how Jesus beautifully reflected mankind back into a place where he could restore the image of God into his life that had been lost when Adam sinned at the tree in the Garden of Eden. And so we know that Jesus has given us back that which we lost through Adam. And that's why the apostle Paul calls him in the New Testament the second Adam. Because where the Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. What Adam lost, Jesus regained. Where Adam sinned, Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness. And he did it. That you and I might be saved, that all those through human history might be saved. Friends, those of you who saw the image on the front of Facebook for this sermon this morning or saw the image on either Facebook or YouTube for the sermon, being or doing, might have seen a rowboat there. And I know that a lot of you, even my wife said to me this morning, she said, I don't understand what the connection is between the rowboat and being and doing. But friends, if you have a look at that picture of that rowboat, you'll see that there's two oars in that boat. And. And we can say that one of those oars is being and the other one is doing. And I know it's a little bit of an abstract concept, but the point that I was trying to make in getting that across was that if we jump in that rowboat and we go out and we get pushed out into the lake and we pick up one oar, which is the being, and we ignore the doing, what happens when you row a boat with one oar? You go around in circles. But let's suppose we put that awe down and we pick up the other or on the other side, which is the doing. Or so we're looking at the doing, but ignoring the being, and we just use that one. Or what happens? Then again, we are not going to make any headway. We're just going to go around in circles in the opposite direction, but we're not going to get to go where we want to be. Friends. It is only when you pick up both the oars and use them in harmony with one another, when we are blending our being with our doing, that we find that we start to make headway, that we start to point ourselves and make a movement towards the direction that we want to go to. Friends, doing is important. The Bible says without faith, it is impossible to please God. In the book of Hebrews, being is also important. And we're going to have a look at that. But the point that I want to make and draw out for you today is that the doing on its own, the works will not get you to heaven, regardless of what all those university students said at the beginning of the answer to that survey. And being also is not good enough, because without the doing, we are showing that the being or the faith isn't really faith at all. And we're going to have a look at some verses that express that in a minute. Friends, when we see what Jesus has done, when we find out the majestic condescension that he gave towards humanity by coming down here, standing up from his throne as king of the universe and coming down here as the lowly human being because he loved us. When we see that we fall in love with him, we can't believe. And I know myself, I still struggle to believe the truth of the Gospel, that Jesus would humiliate himself in such a way for me. But when we. Sometimes God gives us a gift of being able to glimpse the reality of what Jesus has done. Just a small peek behind that Gospel curtain and we come to a small understanding of what Jesus has done on our behalf. We begin to love him and we begin to think, I cannot believe what Jesus has done for me. And there is, as a result of that, nothing that we wouldn't do for him. Obedience becomes a joy. And as we saw written in that psalm that we read before, when the psalmist looked into the salvation of God, keeping his law became an absolute delight because he sees that he is able to express in his doing the result of the love that he is feeling in his heart for him. So the doing without the love is an insult. It's meaningless. And the love without the doing, well, we need to ask ourselves the question, is it really love at all? But when one loves another human being and when one loves God, it results in a change in our behavior. It results in our changing what we do. And it becomes a delight to do it because of the love that we have for God. Friends, I want to share with you in finishing a few verses in the Book of John. So I want you to turn again with me to the Book of John. This time we're going to go to verse 14, and it's going to John, chapter 14. In verse 15 there is a whole series of passages, and I'm only going to share a few with you this morning that illustrate that tell us clearly about this relationship between being and doing, between justice and mercy, between faith and works. John, chapter 14. And I want to read to you verses 15 and 16 to start with John, chapter 14, verses 15 to 16. And these are all the words of Jesus himself. So take this as the words of God. John, chapter 14, verse 15. Jesus says, if you love me, keep my commandments. If you love me, keep my commandments. And he says he will do something for us. In verse 16, he says, and I will pray the Father, and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever. Jesus is saying here, if you love me, then keep my commandments. If you feel as though you have something for me that I have done for you, and you want to express your love, keep my commandments. And the psalmist says, that could be A delight for us. Move down to same chapter, John, chapter 14 and verse 21. This is again the words of Jesus, and this is what he says, he who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. So we see this same concept of this relationship between being and doing in verses. In the early verses 15 and 16, it's looked at from the aspect of loving and doing, but Jesus is turning it up back the front here in verse 21, he's saying it works the other other way as well, because he's saying, he who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. So he is reiterating the same importance of this relationship between the two. Love to Jesus is expressed through obedience. And those who are delighting in the word of God and are obedience to his commandments are expressing their love for him. Are we seeing the importance of the connection between doing and being? John, chapter 14 and verse 23 and 24. So we just move down a couple more verses, and again Jesus expresses a similar concept. He says, jesus answered and said to him in verse 23, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Verse 24, he who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. Jesus is making a very strong connection between being and doing. What we do is an outflowing of who we are. And he says it very clearly in verse 23 with these beautiful words, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word. Which is another saying. He will keep everything that Jesus says, including his commandments. And he also goes on to say, and my Father will love him as well. So it's not only Jesus, it is the family of God that loves him. And it says, after that, and we will come to him and make our home with Him. Friends, would you like to have God, the Father and the Son and even the Holy Spirit come and make their home with you? Our home is a place where you live. A home is a place where you abide. Jesus invites us to be a part of His Divine family through obedience, through His Word, as an expression of our love for him. John, chapter 15, the next chapter, verses 7 and 8. And if you abide in Me and my words abide in you. Again, Jesus is expressing the same same concept. If you abide in Me and my words abide in you. You will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. Now, what does that mean? Does that mean if I say to the Lord, oh, I'd love to have a Rolls Royce, am I going to get a Rolls Royce? I'd love to have a nice house on the beachfront on the Gold coast, am I going to get that? Friends, we're misreading the verse. Jesus is saying, if you abide in Me and my words abide in you. If we are like him, if we have accepted the Holy Spirit into our lives, if we are allowing Jesus to take away our sinful, horrible, wicked characters and replace them with his love and his joy and his peace, when we ask for something from him, it will naturally be in line with what his will is. That we will pray for someone who is on the edge to accept Christ. That we will pray for our members of our families, that we will pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus says, when these things are asked for, it's not that. Maybe it will be done for you. I'll take it to the heavenly board meeting and we'll see what we can do for you. It says, it shall be done for you. This is a promise, friends. Hinging on our faith, hinging on our being and on our doing, on our works which is given to us. We are empowered to be by Christ Himself as well, so our dependence on him is complete. We also see In John, chapter 15, verses 7 and 8. 8 it says, by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so you will be my disciples. Now, I've often asked the question, and this was a question I had in my mind for a long time, relating to the third angel's message. Where we are supposed to glorify God. How do we glorify God, the Master of the universe? There is none superior to him, far above anything we can possibly understand, sitting on his throne of glory, with fire issuing from before him, dwelling in light unapproachable. How do we glorify God? How do we glorify a being like that? And Jesus answers that question very Clearly. In verse 8. He says, by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. What does Jesus mean when he says that we will bear much fruit? What is the fruit that he is talking about? Friends, if we go and have a look In Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 and 23, write those verses down, because I want you to go and Read them yourself. Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 and 23. We see that the fruit that Jesus is talking about here is called the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And is he talking about us going out and preaching wonderful evangelistic series and converting thousands of people? No friends, here's the fruit that Jesus is talking about by which we glorify the Father, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control. We glorify the Father by reflecting in our own lives the image of Jesus. And we can only reflect to the image of Jesus in our own lives when we allow His Holy Spirit to take hold of us and to change us into his image. And the only way that the Holy Spirit can do that is by our willingness to allow him, by our calling on him and asking him to do that. So by our being, by our willingness, by our calling on God to fill us with His Spirit and to change us into his image, we are changed in our doing as well. So our obedience becomes like Him. These are the things that we do. We are joyful, we are peaceful, we are patient, we are kind, we're good. These are the fruits of the Spirit. Expressing these things in our character as a part of our being and doing is how we glorify God. So not only is it something that we do in order to lift up Jesus to those who we see around us from day to day, it is also the fulfilling of the third angel's message. This is how we glorify God. John, chapter 15 and verse 10. My last verse that I'm going to share with you this morning. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments. Abide in his love. Jesus isn't just offering empty words, telling us what we should do. Friends, Jesus came down here, came as a human child, took on humanity onto his own person as an infinite insult to Himself, as infinite humility to Himself, to example to us the words that he is talking about. If God Himself was willing to step down from the throne of the universe and risk his own life, that he might live in hostile territory and be insulted, be put to shame, be slapped on his face, be spat upon, have a crown of thorns thrust upon his head, have the nails, those horrible nails, nail his hands and his feet to the cross and suffer all this, that we might be saved as a practical example of his love for us. How can we not love him when we see the truth of these things? How can we not call upon His Name to fill us, to make us like Himself, that we might partake of this glorious salvation that he has so freely provided for us such an infinite cost. When he calls us to keep his law, it for us to keep his law should be, as the psalmist says, a delight, a pleasure for us to be able to fulfill ourselves by doing that which he has asked us to do through his own power. Friends, it is my prayer this morning that each one of us will find the way to continue to study our Bibles, to continue to see that which Christ has done for you and provided for you. A way that the image of God might be reinstituted into our very beings, that we might bear the fruit of the Spirit, thereby glorify the God of the universe on this dark old earth. Give those who we come in contact with, family and friends, the opportunity to witness the glory of God through our doing as a result of our being, that they too might be drawn to Him. Did Jesus say, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me? He wasn't only talking about the cross, he was talking about the cross. He was also saying, if we lift up Jesus in our lives, we too can participate in the spreading of the Gospel through this world by drawing all we come in contact with to Christ as well. Friends, being and doing live in beautiful harmony because by being we love Christ, we see what he has done for us, we fall in love with him, and as a natural consequence we do by revealing the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives through love, joy, peace, understanding, brotherly and sisterly love, that we might usher in the soon coming of Jesus Christ by glorifying his name and lifting him up throughout the whole world. Isn't that a wonderful thing to contemplate? Friends, it is my prayer that each one of you will take this truth into your heart, will call upon the Holy Spirit to fill your life, to make you more like Jesus, that you might glorify his name and provide a rich harvest through your being and your doing. When Jesus comes again to take those home to heaven with him that love Him. Let's spend a few moments in prayer. Heavenly Father, what amazing truth this is. We see the salvation of Jesus. It is so broad, so deep, so all encompassing. I pray, Lord, that each head and heart that is bowed at the moment will pray to you and ask, Lord, that as we study our Bibles, as we read, as we contemplate these things, that your Holy Spirit will come to us and give us a true understanding, a glimpse of the bright light that shines behind the curtain of the Gospel. And when we see and when we understand the infinite humility that Jesus suffered that we might be saved, Lord, that we will fall in love with him, that we will call upon Your name, that we will humble ourselves, that we will repent of our sins, we will call upon Your name to fill us and make us like him, that we will produce these fruits of the Spirit that Jesus talks about in the Book of John. Love, joy, peace, gentleness, harmony, embracing as Jesus has exampled to us in his life on this earth. Heavenly Father, bless us and strengthen us and guide us each moment of each day and may we only every moment come to a fuller understanding, develop a fuller love for Jesus and want our doings to be more fully in line with his will for us. Bless us and strengthen us Lord, as we continue to worship you this Sabbath day, might these things sink deep down into our hearts and our minds that we will recognize your love for us and want to be our doings in harmony with your will and the until that day when Jesus comes again, Lord, is my prayer in his precious name. Amen. SPEAKER A This message was made available by Pastor Wayne Humphries. For more resources like this, visit HisWordrevealed.Life. SPEAKER B This program has been brought to you by 3 ABN Australia radio.