3 Men

1st Corinthians chapter 2 please. And our brother has made it easy for me to follow. He finished up in verse number 12, God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit.

And I'm thankful today and this hour for the indwelling Spirit of God. And beloved, our bodies are the temple, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. And I would like to read in 1st Corinthians chapter 2 and reading in at verse number 12 please.

Verse 12 and I'd like to read down to chapter 3 and verse 3. 1st Corinthians 2 and verse number 12. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which men's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, discerneth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet are ye able. For ye are yet carnal, for whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as man? Now we trust the Lord for his blessing on the reading and the short meditation on these verses.

What I would like to draw your attention to just in a moment, I would like to speak about the natural man, 2 and 14, and the spiritual man, 2 and 15, and then comment on the carnal man as you have here in chapter 3, verse number 1. Those three different men. And again, I take, beloved, I take the men to be in a generic sense, really, as so the dear sisters, men, women, are not excluded from our remarks here. What has really brought these verses to my attention was a Bible study that I was in, in a very informal way, maybe two months ago.

And after the study, a dear young Christian asked me, he said, what about those that aren't living the Christian life? How would you judge them? What would you discern about them? Where are they? If professing to be saved, a Christian, and yet really out in the world there, and engaged in many of the pleasures of the world, and you might just look in and saying, loving that. Well, I come away and and I really wasn't able to give him maybe the answers. But afterward, in a lot of meditation, different passages, and then coming to this portion of Scripture, I thought, you know, maybe this, maybe this is the answer.

And I'm going to suggest that every one of us here in audience this afternoon, we fall into one of these three categories, the natural man, the spiritual man, or the carnal man. Well, there's something to be said, just to follow on now, there's something to be said about the Holy Spirit of God. And let me say this again, that he is a divine person of the Godhead, as we understand, and he is deity.

The Holy Spirit of God would possess all the characteristics of God himself. And the Lord Jesus promised that that comforter would come. Yes, he said he was going away.

What about his children down here? Well, they would be blessed. John, I'm thinking back, John 14, down about verse 16 or so, he said, I will send you another. I will send you another comforter.

One another, just like myself. And so that was the promise of the Lord that the Holy Spirit was going to come down. And beloved, something I've already mentioned, have I? Is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Every believer on the Lord Jesus Christ is indwelled by the gracious Holy Spirit of God. Romans 8 and verse 9, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And so again, Ephesians, we're talking about the blessings, all spiritual blessings, and that's just one of them again in Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 13, where he has sealed us.

He has sealed us with that Holy Spirit of promise. And so that stamp of his own children is upon all of his own. Are you one of his? The Holy Spirit of God indwelling every believer.

You might ask yourselves, as I have, just what would be the real purpose of the Holy Spirit indwelling the bodies of believers today? What's the purpose of it? Many fold again. Number one, we could think that the Holy Spirit indwelling would like to change and conform us more and more to Christ and to his image, the Holy Spirit of God living within the believer. Second Corinthians 3.18, Paul writes and he says, beholding, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, the believer is being changed from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit.

And so God's purpose is the indwelling Holy Spirit of God that we might be more conformed to his blessed image. And so there's a work ongoing that the Holy Spirit would like to do within us. Not only that, talk about a work, the Holy Spirit of God would like to teach us all things, to show us more and more.

And he's given in his word, he's given indwelling us and when we come to his word, he is able to open up to us his word and show us more and more concerning the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we might say the Holy Spirit is given to illuminate the scriptures of truth. A little quote from A.W. Tozer, he says, the need of the hour.

The need of the hour is first to know the scriptures, he says, writes, and second to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit indwelling that we might have an understanding of the scriptures. Now we heard something about that already today, that we might just be reading the scriptures but we might be coming to a full understanding of the scriptures as well. And so we're indebted then to the gracious Holy Spirit of God.

Not only that, but the Holy Spirit of God is given, I believe, to empower the believer in their life, living their life in service for the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit came down to empower our lives for Jesus. Acts 1 and 8, but you shall receive power, you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

That was the promise. John 14 and verse 12, the Lord Jesus said, he that believes on me, he shall do greater works than these. And how was that going to come about? I believe it has to do with the Holy Spirit of promise that was going to come and he was going to indwell a believer.

And beloved, we can communicate a message today, a message in the gospel that will transform the hearers and those that will believe the message. The power then that's connected and associated with a believer and with the message through the believer today. A little expression, I noticed that we might walk in the spirit.

Now I don't know just what you might, how you might understand that, fellow believer, that we might walk in the spirit. Galatians, Galatians chapter 5 verse 16, as well as chapter 5 and verse 25. Walk in the spirit.

What does it mean? Well, we possess the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ possesses the Holy Spirit of God indwelling. Now here's the challenge, does the Holy Spirit possess me? Is the Holy Spirit controlling me in my words and actions and interaction and so on with others? Is the Holy Spirit in control? You know, Galatians chapter 5, again there's quite a quite a discourse in the Holy Spirit. Galatians chapter 5, I'm thinking the works of the flesh over against the fruit of the Spirit.

And what would God like to see produced in the life of the believer? He would like to see the fruit of the Spirit. And only as I yield to the Spirit and allow him to take control of my members. Romans chapter 6 and verse 19, we are to yield yourselves, yield your members.

Romans 8 and verse 4, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk, walk in the Spirit, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. And so as we yield to his control, we will walk in the Spirit. Little thought, you know, the works of the flesh, that comes clearly.

1st Peter chapter 2, we won't comment on that, but I want to throw you back to chapter 1 again and just enjoy this thought. 1st Peter chapter 2, you know, the opening verses, we talked about those evils, the works of the flesh, and I thought, you know, that's being set over against the fruit of the Spirit. And there was a quick reference made back to chapter 1, 1st Peter chapter 1 and verse 22, seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.

And there's continual, in the letters, there's a continual contrast between what is of the works of the flesh, what is the fruit of the Spirit. Having said that now, every believer being indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, let us come and think of these three particular men. First of all, the natural man, chapter 2 and verse 14, the natural man would be the unregenerate man, the person that doesn't have the new birth, doesn't possess divine life, a person that lives according to their own natural senses, the natural man.

And they make their choices and decisions accordingly. For example, they might see a piece of property and they might say, okay, I would like that, I would like that. So they make completely, their decision is made on what they can see, on their investments, on material things, and there's no consulting, there's no going to God about it, because it's the natural man.

And so he makes his choices according to his own natural senses, the natural man. You know, just before I leave this, could I just plead with those under the son of his word at this time, is there anybody outside of Christ? You are in that natural condition. You need to be born again, born from above, made one of his children, and it's only by faith.

And you know, this is the natural man. He has no faith. Now we know that the Christian, the believer, the just, the just shall live by faith.

That's what's going to characterize his children. But the natural man, the principles of faith are out. It's all his decision is made on his own natural choices, the natural man.

Secondly, what about the spiritual man? At chapter 2 again, verse 15 and verse 16, he possesses the Spirit of God. Number one, he possesses the Spirit of God. And in verse 15, he has discernment.

The spiritual man will have spiritual discernment, in contrast to what I said about the natural man. He can discern, he can correctly assess, and he can make good choices, and have a good judgment, a good discernment. The spiritual man.

And then in verse number 16, not only that, but the spiritual man has the mind of Christ, the mind of Christ. Oh beloved, wouldn't you love to have the mind of Christ? Well, it's possible as believers. I mean, this is, again, this is the mind of deity, the mind of Christ.

And to make correct choices, intelligent choices, and sound choices, and so that is the spiritual man can correctly assess and make correct choices. He has that spiritual judgment or discernment. Thirdly, let us just move down and think in chapter 3, Paul brings our attention to to the carnal man.

The carnal man, you might just have it as a rendering, well, the worldly man. The carnal man or the worldly man, indwelt by the Spirit of God? Yes, but certainly not controlled by the Spirit of God. And the carnal man, the Apostle here in verse number 1, he's likened it to babyhood.

He has the marks of, you know, babyhood. There's no growth, there's really no appetite for the Word of God, there's no development. Now, I know that on the natural plane, if we had children, grandchildren, as the case may be, and they weren't developing, they weren't maturing, we would be really concerned.

I wonder, spiritually, are we just as concerned? If we see those who are really in babyhood and really in the flood, in these verses, is carnality or worldliness, beloved, does it give us any concern? Have we got a love in our hearts for fellow brethren and sisters like that, and would we go out after them? And again, verse number 2, this worldly person, this carnal person, is not able to take the meat, he's not able to take the solid food of the Word of God. Maybe conference occasions like this, they shun it altogether. They wouldn't be found here, because they're in a carnal, natural state.

Verse number 3, carnal, sensual, worldly. I think that, really, self is enthroned. You can see it, maybe, in their pursuits of wealth, maybe, materialism.

Maybe you can see it in the company that they keep, or what they're engaged in, in this world. Carnality. May we just be warned.

Because Paul will turn now, in verse number 3, and I will speak here about the evidences of this carnality, this worldliness. He will speak here about endings, strife, and divisions. Now, you know as well as I do, you can never be happy in that company, or in that state.

What would Paul have? He would have the restoration. My, you know, may we just say, like David of old, restore unto me my salvation. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.

Again, the carnal man has lost the joy of God's salvation. Beloved, I leave it with you. We fall into one of these three categories, every one of us today.

May we just rightly assess where we are. A natural man does not possess the Spirit of God, he is unregenerate. The spiritual man has the Spirit of God, has the discernment, has the mind of Christ, or the carnal man.

What self is on the, self is on the throne, and God is dethroned. You know, I read some time ago about two men, story goes, over a hundred years ago, and they were walking together, and the one man said to the other, the world has yet to see what God will do with a man that is fully consecrated to him. And the other man replied to that statement and saying, by the Holy Spirit, by the Holy Spirit, I will be that man.

And it was D.L. Moody. Realizing that he needed to be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. Now I read that statement, oh, a number of years ago, but I read something this week.

I want to share it with you too, another statement. By the same man, by the, I tell you, by the same man, D.L. Moody, and here's what he wrote years later and said. He said, I believe that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts.

We must be emptied before we can be filled. And if you know anything about the, read anything about the ministry of D.L. Moody, you will know that he was a man that was emptied of anything that would hinder and was filled with God and his spirit. In other words, he was under the control of the Holy Spirit of God.

A spiritual man will know the control of the Holy Spirit of God. The Lord bless. Bless the company.

Bless his word. Encourage our hearts, I pray.