Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
120920
Why Does The Holy Spirit Act As A Mother Figure At Times?
In every generation there has always been questions about the personality of the Holy Spirit being a person and not a force.
To do this, He revealed that the Holy Spirit was called “He,” “Him” “Himself” all masculine nouns, but never she or her”.
He is also called “Him” or “Himself,” never is He called any name in the feminine.
One of the ministries that the Lord revealed to us is that God has given to us every kind of proof that we would ever need to prove that God the Holy Spirit is a person and not a force.
This is one of the reasons that there are times when God the Holy Spirit acts as a “mother” to us in the sense of teaching us WHAT and HOW to love, to be gentle, merciful, and is even called our comforter.
We all need to remember that He is a person who the Bible calls “Him” or “He” but never “she.”
What we need to address is that these passages and others reveal that God the Holy Spirit is revealed by the miracles of the Spirit which are designed to bring glory to the Lord and power to the believer.
Actually, a true but unseen miracle produces the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control, all controlled and used in some way to bring glory to our Creator.
However, do not miss the miracles that are obvious but not known as such --- and that is the miracle of God the Holy Spirit who is conforming us into the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
This, in itself, is a miracle that in ROM 8:29 we read For whom He foreknew, He also predestined {to become} conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first‑born among many brethren;
Miracles are normally the work of God who places His protection and His wall of fire upon and around believers in a supernatural way.
Being baptized by the Holy Spirit is another miracle that God performs at the moment of salvation -- this is a life-changing event.
It is a miracle that we take for granted the power of God, especially that power to make us new creatures in Christ.
It is a miracle of God given us life-changing power and words that can change us forever.
True and real miracles are the monopoly of the sovereignty of God.
No human being, including the human nature of Jesus Christ, has ever performed a miracle.
Only the sovereignty of God, including the deity of Christ in Hypostatic Union, can perform miracles.
To pray for a loved one who is sick is a legitimate priestly prayer of the believer under the principle that God does answer prayer and sometimes uses a miracle to do so.
None of us can determine the cause or reason for any disaster that overtakes someone we love or someone we know or someone who has requested our prayers.
Since none of us can determine the cause or the reasons for illness or similar disasters, the intercessory prayer of the believer must be worded so as to recognize that the option for healing rests with the sovereignty of God, who has all the facts.
miracle is an event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to divine power as a supernatural phenomena, not to be confused with the devil’s counterfeit so-called miracles.
We do not know all the facts surrounding the sufferings of those whom we love.
We do not know that if their suffering is divine discipline, divine blessing, or an advance in the spiritual life.
Therefore, we do not have the right to ask outright for a miracle, because miracles are the monopoly of God and God knows best.
We do have the right to petition God under the concept "if it be Your will."
LUK 22:42 "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done."
There are also counterfeit miracles where Satan removes demons from those who have demon induced illnesses to make it appear as if a so-called "faith healer" has healed the person.
The point is that God has given every Church-age believer the type spiritual life which has equivalent power to miracles on a day by day basis, and there are no miracles in our spiritual life.
Our spiritual life has the power of the filling of the Holy Spirit and the power of Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer but real miracles depend upon the sovereign will of God.
- There are supernatural miracles. These are beyond natural laws or phenomena and are performed by God either directly or indirectly (when God the Holy Spirit is the agent).
- There are extra-natural miracles (something beyond the ordinary, which is the function of angels, especially demons who produce healing when they leave a person's body.
Miracles are the decision of the sovereignty of God when all the facts from divine omniscience demand it.
Then, the omnipotence of God goes into action and a miracle is performed.
However, all miracles come from the sovereignty and wisdom of God.
This is because no human being ever performed a miracle.
This was even true in the use of the gift of miracles during the precanon period of the Church-age.
God the Holy Spirit produced the miracle using men and women with a message.
The real issue is that the sovereignty of God plus the wisdom of God plus the power of God equals a miracle.
However, it is vital for you to know that you have a spiritual life which is far greater than a miracle.
Miracles are not a problem solving devices.
- Creation related miracles were performed by the omnipotence of the divine nature of Christ because He is the creator of all things.
Creation related miracles were done by the deity of our Lord not from His humanity.
These miracles are based on the fact that Jesus Christ created the universe and during the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, He continually used His divine power to perform certain miracles like holding the universe together, calming the storms in life, turning water into wine, and bringing Lazarus back from the dead.
- The second category of miracles are Messiah related miracles which were performed by the deity of our Lord to give accreditation to the humanity of Jesus Christ as the son of Abraham, the son of David, and the Messiah of Israel.
Jesus Christ in His divine nature is the God of Israel.
Messiah related miracles are direct from the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
An example was the casting out of demons, the healing of the blind, lame, etc.
- The third category of miracles are known as Agent related miracles which were performed through the agency of the Holy Spirit during the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, MAT 12:28; Luk 4:14-18.
MAT 12:28 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Agent related miracles were performed by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit.
The miracles which came from the Spirit also did not conflict with the Father's plan, MAT 12:28; Luk 4:14-18.
Jesus Christ refused to solve a problem apart from the spiritual life.
When you go to outside solutions, like psychological therapy, you have rejected the greatest spiritual life in history.
Why pray for a miracle when you have a day to day spiritual life that is far greater and far more powerful in a moment by moment existence?
God does not perform miracles in answer to prayer.
For the believer there is no solution to the problems of life apart from the ten problem solving devices.
Example – Paul prayed for a miracle three times to have his thorn in the flesh removed and the answer was "No."
He was being forced to brag about His accomplishments because false apostles were continually bragging about how much they have been doing to glorify the Lord.
The First Heaven is the atmosphere above.
When Christians die, angels will carry us through the first heaven and the second heaven to the third heaven - the home of God.
The apostle Paul is saying that his experience was to reveal the future of three heavens.
”which means that this experience was so real that even he did not know how real it was.”
However, for the believer there is no solution to the problems of life through miracles.
Miracles are even used by God for divine discipline, so they are not problem solving devices.
The strategy of Satan was to use a false, compromising, or spurious miracle to destroy both kenosis and the spiritual life.
Satan tempted Jesus Christ to operate independently of Bible doctrine and to get Him to reject the problem solving devices.
The temptation was to do a right thing in a wrong way.
Satan tempted the human nature of Christ to use His divine nature to turn the stones of the desert into bread to perform a miracle to do so.
One of the most powerful principles of miracles in the spiritual life is that Bible Doctrine and the miracles of God working together is one of is that the least of all publicized of priorities in this world because this is the devil's world.
That's why we are told in 2Co 4:4 that Satan "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the [apistos - those without doctrine], that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ"
Is it any wonder why we are told in Rev 12:9 that "Satan deceives the whole world;"
Paul said he was a preacher [kerux] in 1Ti 2:7, 2Ti 1:11.
"A kerux was someone who had important news to bring. He often announced an athletic event or a religious festival or functioned as a political messenger as a bringer of some good news or command from the king's court.
He was to have a strong voice and proclaim his message with vigor without lingering to discuss it. The kerux's most important qualification was that he faithfully represents or report the word of the one by whom he had been sent. He was not to be "original" but his message was to be that of another."
We live in the most intensified stage of the angelic conflict because it is a time of invisible warfare.
The pastor-teacher must be gifted, prepared, qualified and filled with the Spirit and then the pastor-teacher along with God the Holy Spirit who is able to take the information taught by the Holy Spirit and teach every single prepared believer.
Remember that in the angelic conflict, Satan tries to convince people that God is unfair, unjust and a god who is not merciful or gracious.
No time in human history has this much power ever been released toward merit-less objects for the fulfillment of the plan of God.
There's an infinite gap between divine perfection and human imperfection and grace is the infinite filler that fills the gap.
So Eph 3:2 calls this the dispensation of the total grace-out.
And this means that there's nothing you can do in human effort or human merit or human energy or power in the spiritual life.
You have more opportunity, more power, more capacity and more assets from God to glorify God than Abraham had, Moses had,
All of us are ordinary believers but we have the grace and power offered to us to become extraordinary invisible heroes.
Invisible heroes are found in 2Co 6:9, the apostle Paul speaking of invisible heroes said, 2Co 6:9 we are unknown yet well‑known,
Invisible heroes, like Bible doctrine, are the least publicized of heroes.
Invisible heroes are born again believers who execute the plan of God and who recognize that they are a vital part of the angelic conflict in human history and avoid all the distractions of legalism, etc.
They are unknown in terms of human history but are well-known in terms of the angelic community who are watching them!
Now, verses 10 and 11 deal directly with the prehistoric angelic conflict and its resolution.
And like Bible doctrine and like invisible heroes, the trial called the angelic conflict is the least publicized of all trials.
Bible doctrine is the least publicized priorities in this world because this is the devil's world.
Invisible heroes are the least publicized of heroes.
And that which is the least publicized is that which I must major in as a kerux or a communicator of Bible doctrine.
That's why you should always be in prayer for communicators of bible doctrine in Eph 6:18-20, that they may "make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, and speak boldly, as they ought to speak."
That why in 2Ti 4:2, the P-T is charged to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction."
And today, the kingdom of darkness is succeeding in blinding arrogant young men behind pulpits who are more interested in getting numbers and huge crowds with their dog and pony show than to teach Bible doctrine and let the chips fall where they may!
The kingdom of darkness is also succeeding in the life of believers who become distracted by the details of life and spend hundreds of hours considering nonsensical things in life.
And so pray for the communicators of Bible doctrine because they are a kerux, someone who has important news to bring.
And then they will face certain adversities that are unknown to those who do not communicate doctrine and unknown to most of their congregation as paul refers to in this passage in Eph 3:13, where he says therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
Paul is saying do not faint or grow weary because of the adversities that I must face.....because they are in honor of you.....for they are your glory.
That's why he said in 2Ti 1:15 "You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me"
And then he said later on 2Ti 4:11 only Luke is with me.
Paul became the target of hostile pursuit by both humanity and evil angels because he was carrying and communicating and heralding and teaching the very doctrines that would reveal the destruction of the evil angels and the angelic conflict.
So much so that he even had an angel from Satan who was assigned to him every single place that he went in 2Co 12:7 he was called an angel from Satan to buffet me‑‑ [kolaphizo- to maltreat with violence and rude language]
Any communicator of doctrine who especially is exposing the strategies and the schemes of the devil and is doing what Eph 5:11 says exposing the unfruitful deeds of darkness, is going to have adversities and tribulations.
As our Lord said when he was living in God's plan for his life and going through sufferings and adversities, Luk 23:28 "stop weeping for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children."
Now, it is God's intention that every believer recognizes this mystery of why they are here in relationship to glorifying God in the angelic conflict.
This is why the apostle Paul said in Phi 4:11 not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
And then in Phi 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the mystery of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
And when he said he had learned the mystery, it was a reference to the mystery doctrine of the Church-age which is used to bring glory to God in the angelic conflict.
And there's something very practical about the mastery of mystery doctrine because in the pulpit we give it so that we can recognize it but in life God brings tests so we can utilize it!
And Paul is saying that he literally mastered the mystery.....and therefore "I am content" which means that I share the happiness of God independent from circumstances whether I'm being filled and going hungry, or whether having abundance and suffering need.
And then he made this statement, Phi 4:13 I can do all things [which means to bear all tests] through him who keeps on pouring his power into me.
Your mastery of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age doesn't just get you an A+ at the judgment seat of Christ, it makes you competent and more than equal to any adversities or tests in this life!
- Bible doctrine is the least publicized of priorities in this world because this is the devil's world.
- Invisible heroes, like Bible doctrine, are the least publicized of heroes.
- They are unknown in terms of human history but are well-known in terms of the angelic community who are watching them.
- And like bible doctrine and like invisible heroes, the trial called the angelic conflict is the least publicized of all trials.
- This is why the apostle Paul said in Phi 4:11 not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
- And then in Phi 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the mystery of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
And when he said he had learned the mystery it is a reference to the mystery doctrine of the church-age which is used to bring glory to God in the angelic conflict.
- Paul is saying that he literally mastered the mystery.....and therefore "I am content" which means that I share the happiness of God independent from circumstances whether I'm being filled and going hungry, or whether having abundance and suffering need.
- And then he made this statement, Phi 4:13 I can do all things [which means to bear all tests] through him who keeps on pouring his power into me.
Your mastery of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age makes you competent and more than equal to any adversities or tests in this life!
And that includes the most severe testing, evidence testing as a witness for the prosecution in the angelic conflict.
And it is demonstrated before elect and fallen angels through your faithfulness to God that God is just in everything he does so that he must have been just in imposing sentence on Satan and all his angels!
As Isa 28:10 says for it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little.
And that's why Paul says in Eph 3:10 in order that the manifold wisdom of god might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places [the elect and fallen angels].
The word manifold is our key word, it is the word polupoikilos which means the multifarious, many‑sided, multi‑faceted wisdom of God.
And what is the multi-faceted wisdom of God?
It is the genius of omniscience applied in a plan of God for both man and angels.