In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of valuing and helping others before seeking power. The story of Adam and Eve is used to illustrate how mankind's disobedience to God has led to the chaos and problems we see in the world today. The speaker also highlights the economic crisis and the selfishness of humanity that prevents the fair distribution of resources. The sermon concludes with the reminder that believers have a responsibility to prepare themselves for the future reign with Christ and to be prepared for His second coming, symbolized by the parable of the ten virgins and their lamps. The importance of having the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the oil in the lamps, is emphasized as a necessary preparation for the coming of Christ.

The first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 12, and verse 12. For as the body is one and has many members, and all members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. For in one spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, and were all made to drink of one spirit. The other two passages are to be found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, and first of all in chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 15. For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus, which is among you, and which you show toward all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in saints, what the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might, which he brought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things, to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him, that filleth all in all. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth, according to the rich spirit in the inward man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. He filled unto all the fullness that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we are, according to the power that worketh to him. Be the glory in the church, and in Christ all generations. Tonight we are thinking together of the great gift that God has given to all who trust Jesus Christ our Lord, the gift of his Holy Spirit. Last night we were thinking in particular of that Holy Spirit given to us for our spiritual good, for our personal spiritual edification. Tonight we are to think in particular, later on, of the Holy Spirit as giving us who trust Christ certain gifts, so that we in turn may be able to help other people. For the work of the Holy Spirit within us is thus twofold. First of all, he is given to us so that we ourselves may benefit. And then he gives us gifts so that we in turn may benefit other people. But we ran out of time last night, as usual, at least I ran out of time. And so before we come to talk about the gifts that Christ has given to us, we're with a couple of others. Let us think for a short while longer of the Holy Spirit, the gift that God has given to those who trust Christ for their spiritual edification. We observed last night that God gives his Holy Spirit to everyone that trusts the Saviour. We observed that Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that those who trust Christ, of them it can be said, you are not in the flesh, but you are in the Spirit if the Spirit is in you. A categorical statement that gets us clear in our thinking from the start. If a believer is in Christ, then he is in the Spirit if the Spirit is in him. You can't have the one bit without the other bit. Secondly, we were noticing the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit pouring out the love of God in our hearts, being the very root and ground of our spiritual life, acting as our guide and as our compass, to lead us step by step through life to the final goal of being conformed to the image of God's Son, praying his prayers alongside our prayers, until we learn to make his prayers our own prayers, so that by our activity and yet by his activity, we make progress along the path. Finally, we should witness him direct to the believer's spirit, that the believer is a true believer, witnessing through the Holy Word of the Prophet, that God has a true believer. If I, when I believe Christ, when I first trusted him and received eternal life, if I then receive the Holy Spirit, is that gift a static thing? Had it all? Or are there deeper experiences of God's Holy Spirit waiting for me as a believer? If only I had the grace... And the answer to that question is yes, indeed. There are deeper experiences of God's Holy Spirit waiting for us. And for that reason I read those two passages in Paul's letter to the... In which he prays for deeper experience of the Holy Spirit's power in the lives of... He says, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus... So they were already Christians. They had already trusted Christ. And on trusting Christ they had received the Holy Spirit. But for these people that were already sealed with the Holy Spirit, Paul prays a deeper... In his first prayer he tells us, I pray this, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know, he goes on to enumerate, three things. That it is the Spirit's ministry to make known to the believer. And to make them known... But to make them known to his heart. To open the eyes of his heart, as Paul puts it. So that with his whole being he grasps these things. They become a real part of his existence. He sees them, not just with his mind, but with his whole being. That a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit would lead us to know... They ask, says Paul, this, that we may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, number two, and what the exceeding greatness of his power is toward us... Now it is the fact of the experience of the Holy Spirit... Very often they will express themselves... You see, the first thing that we need to know, and know with our very hearts, is the hope of our calling. That is to say, the reason and purpose for which God has saved us and called us. You who claim to have trusted Christ and you have been saved, you who have been called, saved to serve, like evangelists, good Lord, have told me I am, saved to serve, to help to bring others to Christ. What's the point in hearing them say, what is the hope of our calling? Where are we going to? The roof we're going! So first we need our hearts enlightened to know, what is the hope of his calling? What is the purpose of our... If we say, well what is that anyway? Paul here gives us in chapter 1 and chapter 2 the answer to that. It is first that we should forever be before God in life. That we should be able to meet all the interests and demands of God our Creator. He made us for himself. Made us for his own enjoyment. And our first end, the first great purpose of our salvation, is that we should meet all his desires, all his pleasures, all his interests, and satisfy his heart. And even since I have come to know Christ, how easy it is for me to turn inward upon myself. I am grateful for forgiveness, because it makes me feel good. I seek experience of the Holy Spirit, because it makes me feel good. And secondly, Paul phrases himself like this, that it is the purpose for the organization and the administration of the age to come, to head up all things in Christ. For God is yet going to fulfill the purpose that he... Remember that the early chapters of Genesis tell us that... Now he said, Adam, you get our old fellow, and you develop it. I want you to have dominion. I want you to fill the earth. I want you to run the place. I want you to administer the earth for my pleasure, to have been presented with a brand new earth, only you in it. You have the responsibility of developing... And who is to have to say how it should be run? Miserably. ...introduced into... ...that now we see around. ...approaching a peak of economic crisis on earth. In spite of our computers and in spite of our economists, we've got vast deserts in our world that the nations dare try and cope with, because if the Americans... We've got millions of folks starving, and we've got our world into an impossible tangle. God originally put man in charge. As the psalmist in Psalm 8, which you put all things under his feet, and man was to run... ...and torn with war and greed and jealousy. Later did you learn that the angels, a genuine... ...the suffering of death we see here already crowned with glory and with... ...all things. For he who taught us to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, was not teaching us to pray some vain repetition that never would be fulfilled on earth. He taught us to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. He was teaching us to pray for a purpose of God that shall be fulfilled, his will shall be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In thy glorious day, says Holy Grail, it is God's purpose to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven, yes, but on earth as well. It isn't God's purpose to ditch this world and we all get thrown back. No more earth, please. Both those which are in heaven and those which are in... ...because... ...waiting you away there in the future to reign with Christ, to administer this world with him and for him. Need to be taking this... ...be assured my work to be done. To reign with Christ. Listen to St. Paul again. The earnest expectation of the creation waits for... ...for creation was subjected to them not of its own will but according to the will of him who subjected it in hope that creation itself one day shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption and all how it shall sing then to the praise... ...the sons, the full grown sons that have achieved spiritual maturity and have been made exactly like Christ. ...much more time and then I shall need to know a second thing. For if the first thing is getting to know the purpose of his calling, the second thing is not to know what great power is... ...so first, before we allow too much power in our hands, let's see what we need to know. We need our hearts enlightened that we may know what is the riches of the glory of God's inheritance in his sense. Which all being interpreted means that we deem ...represent to God an immeasurable strength. Power isn't given me to make me feel good. Power is given me so I should help others. It's difficult to see. You live with me and you'll find it more difficult every day. And you will need... I'm not joking. You will need your eyes open to see it. For the mere charm, if I had any, of outward exterior, that soon wears very thin. And then you won't need to be awake with me but what you're beginning to get a little irritated by my funny mannerisms and a good deal else that's worse than that. In spite of all that, or if I have no understanding of the value of dear Christian people to God, if I have become concept by God's spirit within me of the hope of my calling, if I have become some concept of the tremendous value of God's people to Him, we as Christians would depress what is the glory of the riches. They're not always criticized. Opened eyes to see the value of one another. Realistically. Not pretending that one... But not only does Paul pray this for those that already have been saved, but another deeper experience of God's Holy Spirit he prays for them in chapter 3. He says, I bow my knees out of the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I mean that what Paul is praying for is not some sudden experience. He is praying for for the years of being a Christian. Strengthening my inner man by His Spirit. Well that I might, that Christ might dwell the moment I trusted Christ. Christ came and opened my heart. Like the preacher told me the verse, didn't he? Christ says I stand at the door and knock and if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in. And I did that. I opened the door and Christ came in. Why should Paul need to pray for me now that Christ would dwell in my heart? Not merely that Christ should... You see it's one thing to know with my head that Christ is in me. It is one thing for Christ actually to be in me. Yes we can grab that He's in me because I asked Him to come in and I know He's in me. I get talking with a fellow and he suddenly disagrees. This man can't say the truth. And then he has a view of his own. Well he doesn't anyway have a view of his own. And before I know you should see me discuss some theology but no. It's lovely to have exciting meetings and be right up top dough isn't it? With marvellous feelings. Well let's hope Christ and when the business is going and when you're trying to deal with the shop steward if you happen to be the managing director to come to that position it will need my inner man being strengthened. That is a long drawn out process. When God does perform in the hearts of His people bit by bit the experience of God's Holy Spirit we will be well advised this is the experience of the Holy Spirit. But I must tell you as I promised I have already mentioned those gifts that God that Christ that the Holy Spirit give to His people for the helping of others. While our duty is to help other folks we shall be given different gifts and we shall help them in different ways. So now I turn to talk to those gifts of what Paul said in that first passage that we read that if you want to do Christian work you must first you don't become a Christian by doing Christian work. You first and then you do the Christian work. So let's hear Paul tell us about these gifts that God gives and how we get them. He puts it this way for in one spirit were we all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks whether bond or free and were all made to drink of one spirit. If you want to do Christian work then you must let the body the body of Christ for it is by being in the body of Christ members of that body that we each then have a gift. The human body is one yet it has many members. The fingers have one job the toes have another the hand does one job and the brain does another all sorts of different each member of the body gets those things. So how did we become members of the body of Christ? Paul tells us here says he in one spirit were you all baptized into one body and were all made to drink that Paul in talking to these Christians that all believers have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and all have been made to drink of that spirit and notice there are two first of all it says Paul you were baptized in the Holy Spirit as John the Baptist prophesied you'll remember John the Baptist how he baptized people in water but he stood and cried and he said there comes one after me who is mightier than he I baptize you in water he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit John if you came to John John got hold of you and he put you in the water John baptized you in water now like I baptize you in water says John Christ when he comes he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit you will notice that it's not the Holy Spirit it's the Lord Jesus baptizes you and just as John baptized people in water so the Lord Jesus baptizes people in the Spirit that is when you come to Christ Christ get you and he put you in the Spirit you have all been made to drink of one Spirit Christ makes us to drink the Spirit goes into us and when Christ makes me to drink of his Spirit his Spirit so he does two things he baptizes me in his Spirit that's he puts me in the Spirit and then he makes me drink of the Spirit the only way you could have it what is it that people and bones not withstand what is it that keeps all these members together and makes them one body though they are many members in the air and as I breathe I am in the air and as the air goes into me it carries the oxygen too much and if you were to lingo gangrene so in order to have a human body mark what you must have you must have two things at once what to do I must be in the air and the air must be in me not good having one of them suppose I am here in the air and you tie my tie so tight around my throat that the air can't get into me try it the other way around the Americans the air goes into me and then they shoot me out into space no I've got to have both things and I must have both things at once the air in me and we and at the same as well talk of having a human body with the air in the body but the body what a glorious thing every believer baptised in the Holy Spirit and makes a drink of that spirit the Holy Spirit is a divine person see then what a grand thing God has done for us miserable sinners that when we trusted Christ he not only forgave our sins but Christ was authorised to put us in the blessed person of the divine Holy Spirit incorporated into the very Godhead I trusted you trusted and thus we get our different gifts one gift and there's no need for us to feel that I must have all the gifts there are I can't say I don't need your gift anymore every single member is needed and every gift is needed is there no room for seeking other gifts we are to seek spiritual gifts says the apostle Paul it is possible for us to see the true God telling us the motive that must be ours the prime motive as always in Christian things it must be but it is here pre-eminently that we must see to it that in seeking for gifts our motive is love for this simple reason that the whole purpose of the gift is to help the other man I never swallow the stuff and my family say hi Parsi don do Parsi don yes certainly the mountain joy is the purpose of the operation yes in the exercise of the purpose of without the motive of helping the other fellow you are sinning seek earnestly the best gifts particularly there are two things the Holy Spirit he is given to me for that I don't need any special gift for instance if I am a sinner and I need salvation and I need to understand the gospel and I need to receive the gospel and be saved I don't have to have the gift of an evangelist you know to understand the gospel and get saved I don't need any gift if there is somebody here saved not saved tonight and you can't make out what all these gifts are about well never mind I don't care if you are not saved yet you need the saviour you need salvation and you don't have to have any Christian gift in order to get it on the other hand if I am going to be used as God to bring the gospel to somebody else yes I shall need the gift of an evangelist the gift is not to help me to be saved shall gift an gift is not to help me to be saved I shall need the of an evangelist the gift is not to help me to be I shall need the of an evangelist the gift is not saved I shall need the of an evangelist the is not to help me to be saved the of an evangelist shall need the of an evangelist the to help I shall need the of an evangelist is not need evangelist is not saved I