Holy Spirit – Paul Nordman

A Wakeup Call for Us All

“Hilkiah the priest has given me a book”¹—so reported Judah’s secretary Shaphan to his king, Josiah. It was an understatement for the ages.

With the temple under repair, the king had sent his secretary to Hilkiah, the high priest, with instructions to fund the workers for their materials. Task accomplished, Hilkiah raised a new topic, telling Shaphan, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.”² What?!? He found the book of the Law? He found it in the house of the Lord? How long had God’s people been without God’s Law? Who chucked it into storage in the first place? And how far had they strayed without it? We have a clue, for when Shaphan, in turn, read the book of the Law to the king, Josiah “tore his clothes”³ and commanded Hilkiah, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book.”⁴ The Law was there all along with truth, wisdom, guidance and power, yet the people strayed without it. How far? Plenty far.

We read this amusing account from the distance of place and time, yet it remains relevant. For while the Law of the old covenant resided in the man-made temple, the Spirit under the new covenant lives in God’s new temple—us, the church. God through Ezekiel foretold the day when “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”⁵ Forever faithful, God has sent us the Holy Spirit who lives in us through faith. It is vital that we know this, yet clear we sometimes do not. Paul’s wakeup call to the Corinthian church alerts us still today: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”⁶ “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”⁷ and “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you?”⁸ One message, three times, in two letters—it must be important: Through faith in Christ, the Spirit dwells in in us, His temple.

We live in God and He in us.⁹ And of His living, breathing dwelling place, He says, “the word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.”¹⁰ Then may it not be relegated to storage and neglected there, but may it spring forth from us at the Spirit’s urging.

Father, thank you for choosing to live in us. Grace your people, your dwelling place, to hear your Spirit’s voice and obey in His power. Be glorified in your church. In Christ we pray. Amen.

¹ 2 Kings 22:10 ESV
² 2 Kings 22:8 ESV
³ 2 Kings 22:11 ESV
⁴ 2 Kings 22:13 ESV
⁵ Ezekiel 36:27 ESV
⁶ 1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV
⁷ 1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV
⁸ 2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV
⁹ 1 John 4:13
¹⁰ Romans 10:8 NIV

This Is the Way; Walk in It

Ours was a long-distance courtship. As Peggy was completing her studies in East Lansing, Michigan, I was advancing my career in central Ohio, so our time together was constrained to weekends spread four to six weeks apart. How we bemoaned those Sunday afternoon goodbyes! Yet this was our reality while Peggy finished school, so we consoled ourselves in that it was good to part for a season in order to enjoy each other’s presence for a lifetime.

Comforting His closest of friends on the eve of His departure, Jesus raised their gaze above the pain of the moment to the blessings certain to follow, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper [Holy Spirit] will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”¹ As long as Jesus was on the earth, He could only minister in one place at a time, but now His Spirit would be everywhere all the time, and while the Son of God came to be with us for a season, the Spirit of God would abide in us forever. The outpouring and indwelling of Spirit is a gift of grace, lavished upon all who ask for Him in faith.² But to what end?

As “the Spirit of truth,”³ He guides us into what is true, speaking not on His own, but only what He hears from Jesus, the Son.⁴ He speaks candidly about our sin, not to condemn us in our sin, but to turn us away from it.⁵ The Spirit “teaches us all things”⁶; He makes known to us what He receives from Jesus, and in so doing, the Spirit glorifies the Son.⁷ And as the “Spirit of grace,”⁸ He lives with us and in us.⁹ He is here to help us and to be with us forever, God’s presence for a lifetime.¹⁰

Then how does one receive this gift of grace? Peter tells us: “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit.”¹¹ He will be there for you. Always.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” — Isaiah 30:21

Father, thank You for this precious gift—Your Holy Spirit. Grace us to hear Him, trust Him, and follow His lead, both now and forever. In Christ we pray. Amen.

¹ John 16:7 ESV
² Luke 11:13
³ John 14:17
⁴ John 16:13-15
⁵ John 16:8
⁶ John 14:26
⁷ John 16:14
⁸ Hebrews 10:29
⁹ John 14:17
¹⁰ John 14:16
¹¹ Acts 2:38 TLB