In this segment of Teaching on the Holy Spirit, I want to build on what we talked about last time. We saw pictures of the Holy Spirit represented in the story of the Exodus as the people were traveling through the wilderness. I want to stop and make sure that we grasp the significance of this in our own personal, spiritual lives and our own journey. And then I want to talk about the role of the Holy Spirit in inspiring the apostles and prophets.
This is really the foundation of why we put our faith in the Scriptures as inerrant. I want to start by looking we looked before what it says in 1 Corinthians. I want to take a look at what it says in Hebrews about the significance of the journey. Now, remember, the desert was an inhospitable place where the people spent 40 years. It was full of snakes and scorpions and it was a lack of water. This was not the kind of place that you want to go for a vacation, let alone spend 40 years of your life.
So this 40 years in the wilderness is representing the Christian life, 40 years in the snake and scorpion-filled desert. It's tough for many Christians in the West, particularly in America, as we're looking around to imagine ourselves as being in the desert. But that's exactly where we are. It may look like wherever we are is a beautiful garden-like world filled with all kinds of material blessings.
After I presented the material once that we had in the last segment, someone came up to me afterwards and the brother said that he said he was having a little trouble with this concept of us being in the wilderness. He said someone had explained to him that after he got baptized, he went through a rough patch of challenges.
And he said that the leaders of the church said," Well, you're going through a wilderness experience right now of a rough patch." But after you get through your wilderness experience, then you can really enjoy the Christian life of the Promised Land. They looked at the wilderness was just a temporary thing. So maybe you've heard that kind of expression used before. But in actuality, the whole Christian life is the wilderness experience.
And we think about it, all the elements of the Christian life, we talked about earlier, the time in Egypt represents the old life of sin. Pharaoh is Satan. The Red Sea Crossing foreshadows baptism. The cloud, the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud by day and night, represents the Holy Spirit which led them to the water, protected them as they were going through the water, and then led them all the way for the 40 years on their journey. And so it's important to understand we are in the wilderness right now.
So this is one of the great pictures of the Holy Spirit that we have in Scripture. And it captures all the different things that the Spirit does on our journey of bringing us through the water and then leading us all the way. So a couple of obvious implications of this. One of them is the whole point Paul's making in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 about saying that this is foreshadowing the Christian life. There are lessons for us to learn.
One of them is that obviously the whole idea of once saved, always saved is ridiculous because 600,000 adult men were baptized. They passed through the water. And only two, Joshua and Caleb actually made it to the Promised Land. That's rather disturbing. But the whole idea that is once you become a Christian, once you drink of Christ, that you can't lose your salvation is obviously ridiculous. But there's another concept that may hit a little closer to home.
So while you may understand that once saved, always saved is obviously not true. Many Christians have the idea that once you become a Christian, as long as you stay in the church, attend the church, and stay faithful, and basically stay with the pack of Christians, you'll be fine. And I think that's the point Paul's trying to make here.
He's talking to the Christians in Corinth and saying just because you're in the assembly, just because you're in the church, doesn't mean you're necessarily going to make it all the way to the Promised Land. You need to be faithful in this time of testing. The same idea is picked up in Hebrews Chapter 3. Let's turn there. In Hebrews chapter 3, the Hebrews writer is quoting from Psalm 95 to make a very similar point to what Paul made. In Hebrews chapter 3 starting in verse 5.
I'm reading from the New King James Version. It says," And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as servant for the testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward. But Christ as son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, and the quotes from Psalm 95 here," Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
In the day of trial in the wilderness where your fathers tested me and tried me and saw my works 40 years. Therefore, I was angry with that generation and said they always go astray in their heart and they've not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you, an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily. While it is called today, lest none of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
For we become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. While it is said today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your heart, as in the rebellion. For who having heard rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses? Now with whom was he angry for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned? And whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who did not obey?
So we see they were not, they could not enter because of unbelief. So it's something that they believed in the beginning, but because of unbelief as they were during their time of testing, they never made it. And the point is, don't follow their example. This is written for our benefit. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart as the people did in the time of the rebellion in the wilderness. So that's where we are, and that's the point that the Hebrews writer is making.
So the kind of belief that we must have is to hold the confidence that we had in the beginning, all the way to the end of our journey. We must obey and persevere all the way to the end if we are going to be saved. It's not just a matter of believe and hang with the church. Most of those people, they were all hanging with the group, but most of them didn't make it. They fell because of sin in their own lives. The rest comes. The Promised Land comes at the end. This is the point that the Hebrews writer is making.
Our time here is a time of testing and a time of work. The time of rest does not come until the end that God will provide that rest to us. Now it's an unusual statement here in the text. Let's read Hebrews chapter 4 verses 1 to 5." Therefore, since a promise remains of entering his rest, let us fear, lest any of you seem to come short of it. For indeed, the gospel was preached to us as well as to them. But the word which they heard did not profit them not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
For we who believe do enter that rest as he has said, so I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world, for he has spoken in a certain place on the seventh day in this way, and God rested on the seventh day from all his works. And again, in this place, they shall not enter my rest. Now, I noticed here, he says, indeed, the gospel was preached to us as well as to them. Well, when was the gospel first preached?
Well, some people think it was in Acts 2. Some people think it's during the ministry of Jesus that the gospel was first preached. Jesus, after all, said," This gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world, and then the end will come." And the gospel of Matthew. But here he says the gospel was preached to us that was first preached to them. So here the Hebrew writer says in some sense, the gospel was preached 1,400 years earlier during the time of Moses. And if we think about that, it really was.
What was the gospel? Well, the Passover lamb had to be slain. The people were protected by the blood of the lamb and the story of the Exodus. They were led by the Spirit to the water. They passed through the water. Those who remained faithful to the end, not just believing and starting the journey, had the opportunity to enter God's rest. So indeed, the gospel was preached to them as it's been preached to us.
We see in figure the whole gospel being laid out right here and we see the Holy Spirit playing an incredibly significant role that as soon after the Passover lamb is slain, the Spirit appears in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire and leads them all the rest of the way. So we see the Holy Spirit in this story, as I mentioned earlier, in the figure of the cloud and the pillar of cloud and fire, and also in the rock that accompanied them.
It says they all drank from the rock that accompanied them that the water that comes from the rock that sustains us is the Holy Spirit as well, as Jesus said in John chapter 7. So John 7 verses 37 to 39, the water that came from the rock. So we see in this story, you have to get the idea we are in the deserts. We are in the wilderness. That's where we are and we need the Holy Spirit to give us the water in the deserts and to lead us and guide us all the way on our journey to the end.
I think the goal for us should be as Christians to have a clear, accurate and healthy view of the Holy Spirit to avoid the extremes. On the one hand, there are some people who look at the Holy Spirit as just an emotional experience, a feelings-based religion. And whatever their feelings are telling them, they attribute that to the Holy Spirit.
Swinging to the other extreme, you have people who react against that, who are afraid of the emotion-based, subjective type religion, who relegate the Holy Spirit to doing little or nothing beyond just inspiring the Scriptures. Our goal, I think, should be to have an accurate picture first and foremost of who the Holy Spirit is, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel, and might, knowledge, and godliness, and fear of the Lord. All the manifold aspects of the Holy Spirit.
And then to see the Holy Spirit also as the one, the Lord and Giver of life who also inspired the Scriptures. One of the important things that Jesus said on the night before He was crucified, let's turn to John chapter 14. He talks about the importance of the Holy Spirit and what the Holy Spirit is going to do.
John chapter 14, starting in verse 25, Jesus said," These things I have spoken to you while being present with you, but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things I have said to you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard me say to you, I am going away and coming back to you.
If you love me, you would rejoice because I said I'm going to the Father. For my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes that when it does come to pass, you may believe I will no longer talk much with you, but the ruler of this world is coming and has nothing in me. But the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
So Jesus says he must go so that the Holy Spirit can come, and he says that the Holy Spirit will do two things in this statement. He says, first of all, he says he will remind you. He will bring to remembrance all things I have said to you. So when the apostles are writing down years later, what Jesus said in the gospel accounts, including John who was there in the room, he said that the Holy Spirit will remind you of everything I said to you.
So the Holy Spirit would do that and the Holy Spirit would teach them all things. I want to talk more about that. He says to the Apostles, the Holy Spirit would teach them all things. I want to look at the first part of this promise that the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance everything Jesus said in John 14:26. Now in reaching out to unbelievers here in New England, I'm often challenged at the outset regarding the reliability of the New Testament writings.
People will say, well, how do we know these things are true? The apostles wrote them down years later. Maybe it was decades later. They may have forgotten. And I go back to this scripture when I want to talk about the inspiration of Scripture because Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would inspire the apostolic writers to accurately remember the things that he said later on. So if someone says, well, what if the apostles forgot something or they misremembered something over a long span of time?
Jesus says this is one of the things that the Holy Spirit is going to do. And sometimes people say, well, Chuck, you know you're going to a church that's a fundamentalist church. Are you a fundamentalist Christian? Do you believe that everything in the Bible is inspired by God? I say, well, I'm just a regular Christian and I trust what Jesus said is true and Jesus said right here that the Holy Spirit would remind the apostles of everything he said. So I said, I believe that Jesus is telling the truth.
So of course as a follower of Jesus, I believe that they're writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which He promised them. And if God has the ability, if God has the power through the Holy Spirit to raise the body of Jesus from the dead out of the grave, if He has the power to part the Red Sea, then obviously He has the power to inspire and accurate Scriptures that record what He's done throughout history including the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.
Now this statement here applies to the apostles and what's written in the Gospels. But you may wonder what about the rest of the Scriptures? How do we know that the Holy Spirit has inspired the rest of the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament? Well, remember what we just read in Hebrews chapter three. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, today if you hear his voice in Hebrews 3:7 and then he quotes from Psalm 95.
So this is the Hebrews writer definitely believed that the Old Testament writers were writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't just the New Testament writers. The Holy Spirit was there as well. In Acts chapter 28, let's take a look at what Paul says to some skeptical Jews in Rome. In Acts chapter 28, I'll start reading in verse 23.
It says," So when they had appointed him a day," this is referring to Paul," Many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets from morning until evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken and some disbelieved.
So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul said one word, the Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying," Go to this people and say hearing you will hear and not understand." And seeing you will see and not perceive. For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, their eyes that they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn that I should heal them.
And he says," Therefore, let it be known to you the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles and they will hear it." And when they said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. So Paul, speaking to the Jews, says the Holy Spirit said, and then he quotes from Isaiah chapter six, which of course Jesus quotes from as well. And the Jews didn't come back and say," Well, what are you talking about?
What Holy Spirit?" They knew that there was a Holy Spirit, and they also didn't question that the Holy Spirit was inspiring the prophets as well. So, now how did they know that? Well, we'll talk about that later, actually talks about that in the Old Testament as well. Second Peter chapter one, where Peter is talking to Christians. I mean, this is the foundation of why we have such confidence in the Bible because it's inspired by the Spirit of God. In 2 Peter 1, it's inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of Wisdom and Knowledge Second Peter chapter one, Peter says, starting in verse 16," We did not follow cunningly devised fables. When we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, there were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For he received from God the Father, honor and glory. When such a voice came to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the Holy Mountain.
So Peter's saying I was there on the mountain of Transfiguration when the Father spoke to Jesus and said," This is my beloved Son." Continuing in verse 19," And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you will do well to heed as a light shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Knowing first, no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." So Peter was in the room when Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth. And Peter here says that the writings of the prophets, these were holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was behind what they're saying.
In 2 Timothy chapter three Paul is telling Timothy that he says in verse 15, from childhood, his mother was Jewish.
He said," From childhood, you've known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." Then verse 16, he says," All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." So Paul is saying all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. This is that it's God breathed.
And we think of the breath of God associated with the Holy Spirit. It says the same thing in the Old Testament. Let's turn to Nehemiah chapter nine. This is the Holy Spirit inspiring the prophets in the Old Testament. So Paul and Pete are not making something up. They're speaking about something that was established clearly early on. Nehemiah chapter 9, starting in verse 9," You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry by the Red Sea.
And in Egypt, you showed signs against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of the land. For you knew they acted proudly against them. You made a name for yourself as it is this day, and you divided the sea before them, so they went through the midst of the sea on dry land. And their persecutors, you threw into the deep as a stone into mighty waters.
Moreover, you led them by day with a cloud of pillar, with a cloudy pillar, and by night with a pillar of fire, that you should give them light on the road on which they should travel. And then let's continue in verse 28." But after they had rest, they again did evil before you. Therefore, you left them in the hands of their enemies. So they had dominion over them. Yet again, they cried out to you.
You heard from heaven and you delivered them according to the multitude of your mercies and testified against them that you might bring them back to your law. Yet they did not heed your commandments but sinned against your judgment, which if a man does, he shall live by them. But they stubbornly turn their backs, stiffening their necks and would not hear. Yet for many years you had patience with them and testified against them by your spirit in your prophets. Yet they would not listen.
Therefore, you gave them into the hands of the people of the lands. Nevertheless, in your great mercy, you did not utterly consume them nor forsake them. For you are mighty and gracious and merciful. So when the people rebelled against God, God says, according to Nehemiah, that he testified against the people by His Spirit and the prophets. So we see the Spirit. This is Ezra recounting the history of the Jews here in the story of Nehemiah, but he's testified by His Spirit and the Prophet.
So Peter and Paul are teaching us nothing new other than what's in the Old Testament. Zechariah 7. Similarly, it says that the people refuse to hear the words of God sent by His Spirit by the hand of the former prophets. So the Spirit's inspiring the prophets in the Old Testament, the Spirit is inspiring the New Testament writers in the New Testament. That's why I have rock-solid confidence in the Word of God because it's inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The inspiration of Scripture by the Holy Spirit is one of those foundational principles we can never ever compromise on. This is a hill worth dying on, speaking figuratively here. The same spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. The same Spirit who could breathe life into the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 inspired the prophets and inspired the apostles. This is what Jesus says. This is what Peter and Paul said, and this is exactly what it says in the Old Testament as well.
So while no translation of the Scriptures is perfect, the Scriptures themselves are inspired and we can have full complete rock solid confidence in them. This is the foundation of my faith and all those who are teaching the Word of God, we need to make sure that everyone has their faith built on this rock solid foundation. We have confidence in the Scriptures not because of the church we belong to, but because they're inspired by the Holy Spirit, who is divine.
The reason why this is important, the inspiration of Scripture, some people say," Well, all right, I believe that the gospels are inspired. The writings of Jesus, the red letter part of the Bible." I believe that's inspired, but some of those teachings by Paul, I have a problem with. So many people try to make a distinction between Jesus' teachings, which they're willing to accept, versus the writings of Paul, parts of which they want to reject.
And particularly things that Paul teaches that go against modern popular culture. For example, male spiritual leadership, on submission, on the roles in the family, on head covering, on homosexuality, things that Paul talks about in the scriptures. Now recall, Jesus had said the Holy Spirit would guide the apostles into all truth in John 16:13. So certainly, Peter was in the room and heard that. And Peter says of Paul that he's writing in 2 Peter 3:14 to 16. Let's turn there.
He says," Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace without spot and blameless. And consider the long suffering of our Lord is salvation, as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which unstable and untaught people twist to their destruction as they do the rest of the scriptures.
So Peter, who Paul says the Holy Spirit would he was one of those in the room when he said the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth. Peter is testifying that Paul is writing with the wisdom that God gave him. So he's testifying to the divine inspiration of Paul's writings as well.
So I think we should be able to logically based on the foundation of what Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit and what Peter and Paul and the Old Testament writer said about the Holy Spirit, we should have confidence not only in the gospel accounts that this is an accurate representation but that the Holy Spirit has inspired the other New Testament writers like Paul and Peter and he's also inspired the prophets in the Old Testament that the Old Testament and the New Testament writers are inspired by the Spirit of
God.
In the next lesson, we'll take a look at another aspect of this promise of the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth.