Our Identity-A Spirit-Filled People

Second of a new series on “Doing what’s right without being legalistic”
- For most of the ideas here I have borrowed from New Covenant Morality in Paul

Review from Last Time

God did an amazing thing by choosing a nation to be his special people
In a remarkable way, we inherit this relationship
- so our self-identity can be defined as “the People of God”
Looking as how God and the nation of Israel related to each other can be a real help for us
Three things in particular relating to holiness:
1. We are pure and united because: God’s special dwelling place is with/in us
2. We are pure and united because: We represent God to the nations
3. We are pure and united because: God’s presence actually makes us pure

An immediate application to our lives:

It is God’s Presence that makes us holy and requires us to be holy
Two facts, flowing in opposite directions:
1. It is because God is present with us and has put his name on us (as in a marriage), that we need to be faithful to him
2. It is his presence that actually produces the holiness
Two conclusions
1. If we want more of his presence, then give attention to being faithful to him
2. Spending time in his presence will actually have the effect of purifying us, so spend time worshipping, praying, and enjoying his presence

1. The New is Really New

We have seen the similarities between us, the New People of God, and the ancient nation of Israel—the Old Covenant People of God
- But the Old Covenant failed!
- Why should the New Covenant succeed?
- Is there something different this time?
Jeremiah 31:32 says the New Covenant is “not like the covenant that I made with their fathers”
- read the verses: Jeremiah 31:31-34
- Something is different this time!
- This promise is restated by the prophet Ezekiel in almost identical terms: Ezekiel 36:25-28
- The key difference with this New Covenant is that God puts his Spirit inside us

	The Nation of Israel	Us, the New People
Law of God	Written on stone tablets and stored in the temple at Jerusalem	Written on our hearts by God himself by means of the Holy Spirit
Holy Presence of God which makes us holy	In the Temple at Jerusalem They were to go there 3 times a year to encounter God’s presence	God presence is within us and among his people through the Spirit

2. The ‘holy People’ theme in 1 Thess. 4:1-12

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
It is important to note that in v.8 God’s activity is continuous (present tense)
- the Christian is not simply sanctified and then left alone with a now transformed personality
- they remains in constant union with God’s a source of activity
- This is immensely important
Does God sprinkle “be-good” dust on us?
- “taught by God”
- O.T. background not really instructing
  - more that of that of forming or training
This is especially seen in v.9
- the teaching flows into the action of loving one another.
  - The action of God in placing the Spirit in their hearts (v.8b)
  - and impelling them into love (v.9)
- are not two separate events, but are one and the same thing.
The motivation in v.10 to walk more and more in brotherly love
- is “in effect: ‘you are already doing great things (cf. 1:3): all the more reason, therefore, to increase your efforts and make even greater progress!’
- However he is not complimenting their own human achievement
- but bringing it up as evidence that God is working in them and they are being taught by him (v.9).
- So the ultimate motivation can be put like this:
‘since God is at work—and you can already see what he is doing—then make further progress (by co-operating more and more with his activity)’
So how does this sometimes go wrong?
- v.8 “disregard”
- Paul is therefore talking about the possibility of the Christian
  - “actually nullifying the effects of God’s activity within him by resisting the impulse of the Holy Spirit.”
- old habits of the flesh block the flow of God’s power
  - e.g. flow of a stream
Exactly the same idea can be seen in Phil 2:12-13
1. Therefore, my beloved… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
2. for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Now have a look a final passage with the same teaching:
- Romans 8:1-14
- the most important thing to note here is the connection between vv13b and v.14a
  - to be led by the Spirit is to put to death the deeds of the flesh

3. Conclusion

In the Old Testament, the consecrating power of God was his external presence in their midst
- and so he demands: “Be holy because I am holy”.
- However now, “Be holy because I am holy
  - and my own presence is flowing in the core of your being
“Be what you Are?”
- Often we are told that the New Testament tells us to “be what you are”
- instead: ‘let God be what he is’
  - i.e. the one ‘who works in you’ (Phil 2:13)
  - the one ‘who gives his Holy Spirit to you’
Response
- Let’s stand
- Maybe you do not belong to Jesus?
  - He wants to give you his Spirit
  - Everything he gives is free, no catches
  - Come and talk to me afterwards if this is you
- Maybe you have blockages to the flow of the Spirit?
  - If you would like prayer in this area, then raise your hand

Updated on 2009-08-30 (r.45) by Andrew Fountain