{"id":24071,"date":"2025-01-22T23:14:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T23:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=24071"},"modified":"2025-01-22T23:14:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T23:14:44","slug":"the-mysterious-work-of-the-holy-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2025\/01\/the-mysterious-work-of-the-holy-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mysterious Work Of The Holy Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Posted by permission. Chippenham Old Baptist Chapel<\/a>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sermon preached at Old Baptist Chapel, Chippenham by Mr. G. D. Buss<\/b> <\/b>on Lord\u2019s Day Morning, 10th February, 2019<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThe wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.\u201d\u2014John 3:8<\/em><\/p>\n

It is very remarkable to notice that in two successive chapters in John\u2019s Gospel, our Lord preaches a sermon to just one person. In this case it was to a man called Nicodemus, who probably, because of the fear of man, did not want to be known as a follower or a hearer of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and began to enquire about the things of God. In the next chapter, we have the woman of Samaria. Whereas Nicodemus was a very religious man; a man looked up to, no doubt, as being a guide to others, the woman of Samaria, although cloaked with some form of religion which she professed, had been leading an immoral life for many years, and all could see through it.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, in both cases, our Lord, who knows the hearts of all men, knew that both Nicodemus and the woman of Samaria needed something they had not got. What was it? What did Nicodemus lack and what did the woman of Samaria lack when they first came to the Lord Jesus Christ? What was it that really distinguished them from the people of God? It was, dear friends, the fact that when our Lord met Nicodemus and the woman of Samaria, they had, as yet, not known anything about the necessity of the work of the Holy Ghost within. If we had met Nicodemus in the street, we might have thought: \u2018What a religious man! What an upright man!\u2019 If you had seen him with young boys around his feet as a teacher, you would have thought: \u2018Here is a man who is well on his way to eternal happiness.\u2019 Yet, Nicodemus was still on the broad road \u201cthat leadeth to destruction.\u201d That means that you and I can be orthodox. We can fit into a pattern; we can conform to a particular way of life. Others may look on and think we are striding with great strides towards heaven. But, all the while we are sinking towards the bottomless pit.<\/p>\n

So, first of all, what is the great point before us this morning? It is that God looks on the heart. There is a word in Hebrews 12 which I hope you will lay to heart this Sabbath morning, even if you remember nothing else of our attempts to set before you the Truth. It is this word: \u201cHoliness, without which no man shall see the Lord.\u201d In other words, no unholy man, woman, boy or girl can go to that place where God is seen face to face; where \u201cthe spirits of just men made perfect\u201d are being gathered, even this very moment. No man can enter that august company without holiness. That is the first lesson before us this morning.<\/p>\n

So, where is this holiness to come from? Nicodemus was a descendent of Abraham, and no doubt could trace his genealogy back through the tribes of Jacob to ancestor, Abraham. He thought that was enough for salvation. There were those who came to John the Baptist for baptism to whom John said: \u201cThink not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.\u201d The Jews did not go far enough back in their genealogy. They stopped at Abraham. There was a reason, or course, why Abraham was so important. He was the father of their nation. God had ordained that. But, as far as their genealogy was concerned, they should have gone further back than that. And you must go further back than that. If you go far enough back, you will come to a man called Adam. What do we know about Adam? \u201cAs in Adam all die.\u201d That is, we have inherited from Adam, our first father, the corrupt, fallen, unbelieving, worldly, unspiritual nature which is ours. Although you may clothe it with a cloak of religion, we have inherited from Adam nothing but sin. We read in this very chapter: \u201cThat which is born of the flesh is flesh.\u201d And, if we go through life with no other nature and no other heart than that, friends, I have to tell you that the end of your days will not be eternal happiness. You will be without that word I quoted just now: \u201choliness.\u201d You will get no holiness from your old nature. Ransack it through and through; go through all the secret corners of it, and try and find a holy thought or a holy motive there! Look back over your life this past week; what you were in the flesh. If you understand yourself aright you will have to say that sin has been stamped upon all you have thought and said and done, because of what you are by nature.<\/p>\n

\u2018So,\u2019 you say, \u2018is there any hope for us? If you are so strict in this great matter?\u2019 It is not me being strict, it is the Word of God being strict; the Word of God is exact. \u2018Is there any way in which an unholy, ungodly, unrighteous, filthy, vile wretch, who can trace his pedigree right back to Adam; is there any way in which he may be saved? Is there any way I may be delivered from that which I am deserving of: eternal misery?\u2019 Yes, there is a way. Blessed be God, there is a way. The Lord preaches of it in two different ways in John 3 & 4. But, the fundamental truth in both chapters is this: you need a new nature. Whether it is spoken of as the new birth, as our text this morning infers, or as a well of water springing up into everlasting life in the next chapter, the truth is the same: we need a nature which we were not born with. We need a holy nature. We need a spiritual nature. We need a God-loving nature. We need a sin-hating nature. In other words, we need a nature that loves holiness. And, I ask you this Sabbath morning to look deep, deep down within your heart. You have that old nature which I have spoken of. But, is there another nature there, opposite to what you were born with: a holy nature?<\/p>\n

Well, how can we know? The Apostle John speaks of six things in his First Epistle. There are six things which he says are the fruits of the new nature. One is, it believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Another is, it cannot sin. That is a striking word, isn\u2019t it? You say; \u2018But I am nothing else in my old nature.\u2019 That is quite true. But the new nature cannot sin. It is the Holy Ghost within. It is the Spirit\u2019s work within, and He is holy and pure. He is holiness itself. We are told the Spirit \u201cdoeth righteousness.\u201d The man born of God loves his brethren. That means he loves all those who fear God\u2019s name; great or small, rich or poor, known or unknown. We also read that it overcomes the world. And we also read the new nature keeps from the evil one. These are some of the marks that belong to those with the new birth.<\/p>\n

So, the Lord was teaching Nicodemus this great, important lesson. We would believe the work of grace began here in this dear man\u2019s heart. Although he hid it for a long while, in the end it could not be hid. There were two great things that took place later on, which proved that this man could not be altogether silent about what had taken place in his heart that memorable night. Later on, in John\u2019s Gospel, the Jews were debating how to stop the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. The \u2018synod\u2019 wanted to silence Him. But, Nicodemus stood up alone in that synod; before the Sanhedrin. He said: \u201cDoth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?\u201d And they turned on him, and said: \u201cArt thou also of Galilee?\u201d They derided him. For the first time, Nicodemus was willing not be ashamed of Christ. Then, at the end of the life of the dear Saviour, we find His holy body being taken down from the cross. And who goes boldly to ask Pilate for that body? There was Joseph of Arimathaea, another secret disciple. But Nicodemus goes with him. He was willing to go forth unto Christ \u201cwithout the camp, bearing His reproach.\u201d He was not ashamed to be known as a believer in this precious Saviour. And that is what the new birth will do, dear friends. Sooner or later, it will make you not ashamed to be different. You will not want to be conformed to this world. It will not be a concern to you as to what the world thinks about you. It will be this:<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I His, or am I not?\u201d<\/p>\n

J. Newton<\/i><\/p>\n

Now, this chapter, this remarkable chapter, sets before us the three great strands of salvation. All are equally important, none can be disregarded and all will be known by those who are taught of God. Our text this morning has to do with the first strand: the new birth, the new nature, the new heart and the new Spirit that God gives when He begins to work in a sinner\u2019s heart. The second great strand is justification. \u201cAnd as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.\u201d Who believes in Him? Those who are born again of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost works that precious faith in their hearts that otherwise they would not have. Then, the third great strand is this, sanctification. Listen to what John the Baptist, that mighty preacher, had to say concerning Christ Jesus. \u201cHe must increase, but I must decrease.\u201d That is sanctification. Those three great strands of salvation are to be found in this chapter. They are \u201ca threefold cord is not quickly broken.\u201d And, if that threefold cord is holding you this Sabbath morning, dear friends, whatever may come in your life; however wretched your heart still may be, however vile the temptations that may come upon you, however opposing the world, whatever fires, whatever deep waters you are called to pass through; yea, death itself cannot break that bond that was forged in the Covenant of Grace.<\/p>\n

\u201cSovereign grace o\u2019er sin abounding!\u201d<\/p>\n

J. Kent<\/i><\/p>\n

You sang of grace in that precious hymn just now [hymn 202]. It is this work of grace that snatches a sinner as a brand from the burning.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo change the heart, renew the will,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And turn the feet to Zion\u2019s hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

J. Kent<\/i><\/p>\n

It makes an irreversible change in his life so that he is never the same again afterwards. He still has his old nature, yes. Sometimes he is reminded of it very sadly. We know it. Yet, dear friends:<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce in Him, in Him for ever;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus the eternal covenant stands.\u201d<\/p>\n

J. Kent<\/i><\/p>\n

If it were not so, there would be no gospel to be preached.<\/p>\n

Now, our text this morning gives us a \u2018type\u2019 of how this great work of the Spirit is performed: the wind. \u201cThe wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.\u201d Let us look at that word \u201clisteth\u201d for a moment. It is an old fashioned word, isn\u2019t it? It means that the wind blows where it pleases. You cannot tell the wind which way to blow. Although man is very arrogant in the matter of creation these days, and thinks he can control all sorts of things, he certainly cannot control the wind. Even in this last week we have seen the wind come from the North, bringing heavy snow. Then it turned to the West and brought heavy rain. The Lord causes the wind to blow from which way He sees fit. You cannot tell where the wind begins or where it ends. And the Lord Jesus Christ says that the work of the Spirit is like that. No man can \u201ctell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.\u201d It is a mysterious work, and yet it is a real work. It is a mysterious work, isn\u2019t it? The gospel may be preached from this pulpit, either by me or somebody else. Perhaps one person may be wonderfully affected by it. But, to the person sitting next to them, it may have no effect at all. That is sometimes the case. There is the mystery of the work of the Spirit: it blows where it pleases Him.<\/p>\n

Let us speak about that word \u2018pleasing\u2019 for a moment, because there is something very precious in it. We read of the Father\u2019s pleasure. The Father takes great pleasure in His dear Son. \u201cFor it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell.\u201d That was His pleasure. In Isaiah 53 we read another mysterious word. \u201cYet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him.\u201d How mysterious that is! That it should please God the Father to bruise His dear Son! What pleasure is that? How can we understand that? How can we get the depth of that? (In this context the word pleasure especially refers to the will of the Father). Well, my dear friends, it is because of the love the Father had to the Church given to Christ to redeem. Then, you think what a cost salvation is to the dear Son of God; that it should please the Father to bruise Him that we should not be bruised eternally in a lost hell. Friends, what love is this! \u201cIt pleased the Father.\u201d The dear Son of God always pleased His Father. He said: \u201cFor I do always those things that please Him.\u201d It was His pleasure to do His Father\u2019s will. \u201cI delight to do Thy will, O My God,\u201d He says in prophecy. Just as an obedient, loving child finds it a delight to do what its parent asks, how much more, infinitely more, did the dear Son of God obey His heavenly Father in His holy humiliation here below! So much so, the Father said at His baptism and His transfiguration: \u201cThis is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.\u201d<\/p>\n

But now, we have the pleasure of the Holy Ghost. It pleases Him to blow. What a mercy it does please Him to blow! For, friends, if He did not blow, no sinner would ever be born again and no sermon would have any power in it. There would be no believers, no repenters, no hopers, no lovers, no obeyers and no conquerors. We are dependent upon His breath; the in-breathing of the Holy Ghost. And to think that it pleases Him to blow like that! That is another great mystery. You know what your own heart is like.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Lord, and shall Thy Spirit rest\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In such a wretched heart as mine?\u201d<\/p>\n

A. Steele<\/i><\/p>\n

That it should please God; the Holy Ghost to come into such a wretched heart like mine, and give that new nature; that new heart that I did not have before! There was nothing pleasing in me before He came. My heart was a desert. It was a wilderness. It was a desolation. It was worse than that: it was a dunghill! But, still He came.<\/p>\n

Why did He come? It pleased Him to come. The three Persons of the glorious Trinity are of one will. They are three distinct Persons with three distinct wills of their own in one sense, but they are one God. And so, the pleasure the Father has, the Son has and the Holy Ghost has, are all one glorious pleasure: to save sinners. \u201cFor God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.\u201d See the Trinity in that well known verse! God the Father, sending His Son, God the Son coming. You say, \u2018But where? Where is the work of the Holy Ghost?\u2019 You tell me who makes a believer. The Holy Ghost does. He gives divine life to all those given by the Father to the Son to redeem. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ said: \u201cAll that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.\u201d Poor sinner, see the encouragement here! The work of the Spirit: He is the One who brings the sinner. The sinner has no ability of His own; he knows it and he feels it. He is inept, he is inadequate, he is insufficient and he is inefficient. What is he to do? He is to plead for the inbreathing of the Holy Spirit. He blows where it pleases Him, and He is pleased to blow in the hearts of poor sinners whom He is determined to save.<\/p>\n

And, one of the first movements of the breath of the Holy Ghost in the heart is for that sinner to long for that very thing. He is not yet conscious that the work of the Spirit has begun. But He knows there is a change. He feels an emptiness within. The hymnwriter calls it an \u2018aching void:\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c…an aching void<\/p>\n

The world can never fill.\u201d<\/p>\n

W. Cowper.<\/i><\/p>\n

Before, his heart was filled with things on the television screen, or the sports field, or perhaps in some dark path worse than that. That was his life. That was his way of living and that was the way he thought bought true happiness, until this blessed Spirit came. What did He do? He created an emptiness. That word \u2018created\u2019 means something that was not there before. Perhaps that sinner could not understand what had happened. Why did he no longer enjoy that company which he did before? Why is the football match no longer enjoyable, as it was before? Why is that wretched thing on the television not the same as it was before? Something has happened!<\/p>\n

\u201c…an aching void<\/p>\n

The world can never fill.\u201d<\/p>\n

W. Cowper.<\/i><\/p>\n

It begins to sanctify that sinner. Now he wants that aching void filled, and only God can fill it. Thus he does not want to worship the world any longer. He is coming out from it, step by step. \u201cPrecept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.\u201d His heart is crying out for God.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hunger now for heavenly food,<\/p>\n

And my poor heart cries out for God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do I describe one of you this morning? This is a holy work. It is a separating work. And it brings a sinner out from all those things he once thought were pleasures, but that were actually destroying his soul. You say: \u2018Destroying my soul?\u2019 Yes. The Word of God cannot lie. Listen to what the Word of God has to say; you cannot gainsay that. \u201cFor whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.\u201d I will repeat that. This is God\u2019s Holy Word; it is far better than any words that I can say. \u201cBut he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.\u201d Oh, sinner! Are you wronging your own soul by clinging to those very things that God rebukes? That company that God\u2019s Word tells you to come out from? You are wronging your own soul. \u201cO Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself,\u201d says Hosea the prophet, by wronging your own soul. See where the responsibility lies! You cannot blame anybody else, dear friend. It is your solemn choice, if you understand what I mean. It is your wretched heart choosing things that God hates, and hating things that God loves. Why is it? It is because your old nature is nothing but sin. Oh, to be brought out from it! Oh, to be plucked as a brand from it! Oh, to acknowledge the sin of being so foolish and wronging your own soul!<\/p>\n

Let us come back to our text. \u201cThe wind bloweth.\u201d This dear Spirit, how does He blow? Well, He has means. One of the means he peculiarly and particularly uses is the Word of God. And, if you value your own soul this Sabbath morning, then this is the Book you must go to. There are many other good books written by good men, but none are to be compared to this Book. This is the Word of God to man. This is the Holy, inspired Word. It has come from the very breath of God. \u201cHoly men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.\u201d The Holy Ghost has set before us in this Holy Book the way of life and the way of salvation. If you are concerned about your never-dying soul this Sabbath morning (and God grant that you may be), this is the Book to go to. Get on your knees and ask God to direct you in reading it; to lead you to those places that will instruct you in the way. \u201cSearch the Scriptures;\u201d says the Lord Jesus Christ, \u201cfor in them ye think <\/i>ye have eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, the person on my mind this morning does not just want to think. He wants to know<\/i>. Do you know<\/i>? That is the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I quickened by His Spirit;<\/p>\n

Live a life of faith and prayer?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trusting wholly to His merit;<\/p>\n

Casting on Him all my care?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Daily panting,<\/p>\n

In His likeness to appear?\u201d<\/p>\n

J. Berridge<\/i><\/p>\n

The wind is blowing, then. Has it ever blown upon the Word of God for you? You have opened it to read it, and suddenly the Word came with such power. Your whole mind was arrested by it. You had never seen it like that before. Perhaps you had read it hundreds and thousands of times, but then the dear Spirit breathed upon the Word and breathed it into your heart. It became Spirit and light. That is why, dear friends, we love the Word of God. We do not want it tampered with. We do not want it amended or adapted because it speaks to us. It has spoken to us in the power of the Spirit.<\/p>\n

Again. The Holy Spirit uses the ministry. That is why God sends forth sinners \u2013 note that \u2013 sinners to preach the gospel. They are earthen vessels. If there is any treasure in them, God has put it there. But the power belongs to God. Thus, God directs His servants in the ministry by His Spirit so that it begins to blow in their ministry, and thus, we trust sinners are converted unto God and saints are also confirmed in their faith. It causes much exercise to a pastor when there seems to be no movement; no conversions, no brands plucked from the burning and no lives changed. There is something lacking in the ministry, isn\u2019t there? The power is withheld. The dear Spirit is not blowing. Why? Have we grieved the Spirit? Have we quenched the Spirit? Let us ask the question, preacher and hearer alike. The only thing that will make the difference is the blowing of the Spirit through the ministry. It is so needed, isn\u2019t it? \u201cThe wind bloweth where it listeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, strangely enough, dear friends, the minister does not always feel the liberty that he would like to. In my long experience now of being pastor here, one or two of the sermons God has used, in my estimation, were some of the poorest sermons I have ever preached. I am sure they were, from a natural point of view. I remember one occasion many years ago, I think it was the first year I was pastor here; there was an elderly woman called Martha Britton. She lived to be 103 years old and she was a worshipper her; a dear, godly soul. One Sabbath morning the text I tried to preach from was: \u201cI will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.\u201d I think, for about twenty minutes, I preached in complete bondage, as I felt. I could not get anywhere. In the end I sat down, and I thought; \u2018Well, they will soon want me out of this pulpit.\u2019 But, as I came down the aisle, there sat Martha Britton, with tears pouring down her face. \u2018Oh, Mr Buss,\u2019 she said, \u2018that has been so good to me!\u2019 She died three weeks later. That text took her to heaven. Dear friends, it is what God does with the Word. \u201cPower belongeth unto God.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, where is the power? Do look back, dear friends, not so much at my ministry, but at all of the ministry you have sat under in recent weeks. When did you last have power in your hearing? When was your heart melted? When was your heart broken? When was something done? When did you go out from the chapel different to how you came in? You may have gone out more miserable, perhaps, because you needed reproving. But that is part of the work. You may have gone out comforted, and may God often do that also. But, where is the power? That is what is needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.\u201d In verse 3 of this chapter, the Word of God uses that word \u2018birth\u2019 in two senses. Firstly, in the words of our Lord: \u201cborn again,\u201d and secondly: \u2018born from above.\u2019 (You will find that in the margin reading). Both those meanings bring together what it is to be under the sweet influence and power of the Holy Ghost.<\/p>\n

First of all, to be \u2018born from above.\u2019 What does that mean? Well, as I said, Nicodemus was a man who could trace his genealogy back to Abraham. He thought that was enough. But it wasn\u2019t enough! No denominational or national identity is enough, dear friends, to save us from eternal misery. We must be born from a different source altogether from what we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers, right back to Abraham and Adam. We must be \u2018born from above.\u2019 In other words, the Holy Ghost, the third Person of the glorious Trinity, must be sent by the Father through the Son into our hearts to bring the holiness that you and I need to get safe to heaven. We must be born from above. It must come down; right down into our hearts. It is as stupendous a stoop as the dear Saviour Himself made, when He left His Father\u2019s throne and took into union with His divine Person that holy, human nature in which he suffered, bled and died. That was a tremendous stoop. It is also a tremendous stoop for the Holy Ghost to come down into your wretched heart, sinner! Without Him, our hearts are unbelieving, corrupt and immoral. All that God hates is there. But He comes. Why does He come? Because He will <\/i>come. It is His pleasure to come where He has determined to come. This is divine sovereignty. It is a mystery why He quickens some and not others. It is in the mind of God: you and I cannot explain it. But, the great point is this:<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I quickened by his Spirit?\u201d<\/p>\n

W. Gadsby<\/i><\/p>\n

And, if not, can you be content not <\/i>to be quickened by His Spirit? That is the question. There are those of us here this Sabbath morning who humbly hope that we have been quickened by his Spirit. We need quickening every day; don\u2019t mistake me. But, it is an amazing thing to us that God should have had mercy on such wretches as we are, and sent forth His Holy Spirit, unasked for, unlooked for and unmerited. A stupendous stoop! I look back on my own days before I was called by grace and I tremble at the thought that I was content, yes \u2013 content <\/i>\u2013 to be an unbeliever. I was religious, yes. I was strangely like Nicodemus. I was content in that state; content without the work of the Spirit; content without this Holy Person working in my heart. Awful contentment! Solemn contentment! It is the contentment that sinks sinners to eternal misery. Oh, may the Holy Ghost give a holy discontent <\/i>to contented sinners here this morning that are content with their sinful life and are content with the ways of darkness! May He give a holy discontent that you may no longer be content with that way that is leading to the ruin of your soul. May you begin to cry out:<\/p>\n

\u201cGive me Christ, or else I die\u201d<\/p>\n

W. Hammond<\/i><\/p>\n

or to cry out: \u201cGod be merciful to me a sinner.\u201d Sinner, you are on the brink of eternity. You do not know if you will live to come to the House of God again. Oh, do lay these things to heart! May God lay these things to your heart, \u2019ere it is too late. The Holy Ghost will not work the work of salvation beyond the last breath of your life. \u201cIn the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.\u201d Which way would it fall, dear friends, if it fell this coming week? Oh, sinner, young and old; lay it to heart!<\/p>\n

Perhaps one of you is asking, \u2018Is it right for me to pray for the work of the Spirit if He comes as it pleases Him?\u2019 Of course it is right to pray for it. Listen. We have a Scripture that you can take to God; it came from the lips of the dear Son of God. \u201cIf ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give\u201d \u2013 listen \u2013 \u201cthe Holy Spirit\u201d \u2013 who to? \u2013 \u201cto them that ask Him?\u201d If there is a sinner here this Sabbath morning who has never prayed before, this is a good place to begin. \u2018Give me Thy Holy Spirit to teach me, to lead me, to guide me, to keep me, to quicken me, \u201cto convince me, to show me the wrongness of sin and the rightness of righteousness and to show me the need of a precious Saviour.\u2019 It would be a great mercy if someone began to pray like that this Sabbath morning, and does not give up praying until the Lord reveals a precious Christ to them! \u201cThe wind bloweth where it listeth.\u201d It does <\/i>please the Spirit. And, although He may be asked, He comes of His own perfect will. He is in the beginning of the matter and the end of it. It is all of grace, from beginning to end. That aching void you feel: He has created it. That longing after Him: He has put it there.<\/p>\n

Then it says here: \u201cBorn again.\u201d What does that mean? Nicodemus thought he had to start his life all over again. \u2018If only I could begin again, I would not be the same foolish man I have been.\u2019 Perhaps you have said that. I have said it. I have thought: \u2018How I would like to live my life all over again! I would not have done this, and I would not have said that.\u2019 Oh, poor sinner! You would have done just the same, and worse, perhaps. The old nature is what it is. It is fallen. Without a new nature you would be no different. \u2018Nicodemus, it does not mean you have to start your natural life all over again. What it does mean is you need a spiritual birthday; when the Holy Ghost should come into your heart and begin the work of grace.\u2019 I think I have told you before, but I am a clumsy writer. When I was at school I often had to rewrite a page because it was so untidy. In those days we did not have biros. We had ink pens which we had to dip into an inkwell. If you were clumsy, the ink would blot the page, and you would have to start again. And because I was clumsy, I often had to write a page again. I think Nicodemus thought he could turn the page over and it would be different the next day. Would it? You may have told the Lord that. You said: \u2018Lord, I will turn the page over tomorrow. I am going to be different.\u2019 Poor sinner, you will be no different without the work of the Spirit. What you need is our text. You need the dear Spirit to blow into your heart. He alone can make the difference. He can humble you where there is pride. He can give faith where there is unbelief. He can give patience where there is impatience. He can give holy desires where there are unclean desires. He can take over your soul with blessed power, as it pleases Him. That is what is needed. Nothing less will do.<\/p>\n

So, this is the new birth. As the Holy Ghost works within He will bring a new nature, a new heart, a new Spirit, new desires, new ambitions, new company and new activities in your life. The Lord Jesus Christ says, and I say it to you this Sabbath morning, I hope as His ambassador: \u201cMarvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.\u201d This is the only way to heaven. Your religion must begin with the new birth. If it hasn\u2019t begun with that, dear friends, it hasn\u2019t yet begun. Nicodemus had not yet begun until He met the Lord, as we read in John 3. That is where the Lord began with Nicodemus. And that is where all real religion does begin; where God begins with us. \u201cIn the beginning God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Go to Genesis 1. \u201cIn the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.\u201d That is a true picture of regeneration. That is where we are spiritually; \u201cwithout form, and void.\u201d Darkness in our minds, hearts and souls, and then the Spirit begins to move. And He says, with divine power: \u201cLet there be light.\u201d Friends, however dark it was before, it cannot resist the light. The night may have been very dark, but, when the sun rises, the darkness of that night cannot hinder the sun rising. The sun rises and the light dawns.<\/p>\n

And so it is, my dear friends. However dark your heart may be, your path may be and your life may be, when the dear Spirit breathes and says: \u201cLet there be light,\u201d there will be light. You will then begin to see light in God\u2019s light and view things as God views them. Your sins, your way of life and the way of salvation will be shown to you. \u201cO send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles.\u201d \u201cLet there be light: and there was light.\u201d \u201cThe wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

My last point this Sabbath morning is, every child of God has this as their mark: \u201cBorn of the Spirit.\u201d We read in the prophecy of Ezekiel of a man who used a pen to set a mark upon the forehead of those who feared God. Well, this is the mark: the work of the Holy Spirit. \u201cEvery one<\/i>,\u201d it says here, \u201cthat is born of the Spirit.\u201d This is the mark of God\u2019s dear children. This is the thing we must be looking for. And the work of the Holy Spirit is to lead that sinner to Christ; to bring him to the foot of the cross and there put all his confidence in a life he did not live.<\/p>\n

\u201cUpon a life I did not live,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon a death I did not die;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another\u2019s life; another\u2019s death,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I hang my whole eternity.<\/p>\n

May God add His blessing.<\/p>\n

H. Bonar <\/i>Amen.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is very remarkable to notice that in two successive chapters in John\u2019s Gospel, our Lord preaches a sermon to just one person. In this case it was to a man called Nicodemus, who probably, because of the fear of man, did not want to be known as a follower or a hearer of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and began to enquire about the things of God. In the next chapter, we have the woman of Samaria. Whereas Nicodemus was a very religious man; a man looked up to, no doubt, as being a guide to others, the woman of Samaria, although cloaked with some form of religion which she professed, had been leading an immoral life for many years, and all could see through it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":480,"featured_media":22558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1728],"tags":[1250],"class_list":["post-24071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gerald-buss","tag-regeneration"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/480"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24071"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24073,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24071\/revisions\/24073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}