The Holy Spirit is presented as God, a member of the Trinity, actively involved in creation, conviction, and the exaltation of Christ. The sermon begins by addressing the confusion surrounding the Holy Spirit in contemporary Christendom and establishes the Spirit's divine nature and personhood. It then explores three key Old Testament passages: the Spirit's role in creation (Genesis 1:2), His striving with humanity before the flood (Genesis 6:3), and His presence in Joseph, a type of Christ (Genesis 41:38). The sermon concludes by highlighting Joseph's exaltation as a picture of Christ's authority and the future role of the Holy Spirit in drawing believers to Him.
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and we'll read from the first prayer. In 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. And God saw the light, that it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day. And the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
That's chapter six. And again verse one. And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth. And daughters were born unto them. that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair, and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh, yet his day shall be a hundred and twenty years. And there were giants, Nephilim, and the earth and those days. And also after that when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bear children to them.
The same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness of men was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made men on the earth, and it breathed him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both men and beasts, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the earth. For it repented me that I have made them. But Noah found great in the eyes of the Lord. And just one other passage in Genesis chapter forty-one.
And we'll read from verse thirty-eight. Genesis forty-one, verse thirty-eight. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, For as much as God has showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in the pastures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him to arrive in the second chariot which he had. And they cried before him, Bar the knee, and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zathna Zanea, and he gave him to wife Asana, the daughter of Potipharah, priest of Am, and Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
As we intimated last night, I thought that during the week that we were together, I would like to speak of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as we find it in the Word of God. The reason that this has been laid upon my mind in recent years I have been very much disturbed about very confused thinking concerning the Holy Spirit of God in Christendom. In the nineteen sixty-two I was invited to go down to South America. We had already spent about forty years in Africa, and when we came home, when it didn't seem possible at that time to go back to Africa, I was invited to go down to South America. At that time I was able to visit all the Latin Republics of South America except one, unable to see something of the work of God in those Latin Republics.
A wonderful work has been done down there. We were hearing about Brazil last night. Many years ago, there were two servants of God who went to Brazil. One was Stuart McNair, the other was George Fowers. And these two dear servants of God, they spent their life speaking and working among the Portuguese-speaking people, one in Brazil and the other later going over to Portugal. Now, at that time, and from that time, about four hundred assemblies have been formed in the interior of Brazil. particularly in an area called the Rio dos in Brazil. There are about four hundred assemblies there.
But the problem today is that they're being bombarded by teaching concerning the Holy Spirit and the charismatic movement has penetrated among the assemblies on that land. And the reason I went there, I was invited to go. just to open up the Word of God, stay for a little while with these people, and try to point out to them what the Word of God has to say about the Holy Spirit of God. Not only in Brazil, but in Argentina. A marvelous work has been done there. You may know that in the city of Buenos Aires today there are about eight assemblies in the one city. There are very few cities in the world today where there are so many New Testament churches and in the city of Buenos Aires.
And I think the most profitable and the most progressive work in Argentina today is the work that's being carried on by New Testament assembly. Unfortunately today, this charismatic movement has penetrated there too. Just this week I picked up a magazine and I found out the two young men. who were the sons of the pioneer missionaries in Argentina, have gone into the charismatic movement. You know, it hurt me terribly when I heard that. After being in South America, we were able to go over to New Zealand on Australia. And you possibly know that one country where the work of God has progressed to an amazing extent, possibly greater than any other country in the world, is New Zealand.
In relation to the population, I suppose that there are more assemblies in the country of New Zealand than any other country in the world. But here again, the charismatic movement has been penetrating, and many, many have been carried off their feet by these claims for Pentecostal gifts. Just last year, we had an opportunity of going back again to Africa. We were in Angola. We were also in South Africa and another African countries. I don't want to occupy time and talking about conditions that be found there. But again, these Pentecostal gifts, so-called, and those that claim to have them, these are things that are occupying very many people's minds.
Then last year I was able to go over to India. I was there for three and a half months. able to see at first hand the work of God that has been done in that wonderful country. There are about eight hundred assemblies altogether in India today. But again, one thing that would disturb any man that goes in among these assemblies today is the way that they are being penetrated by these teachings concerning the Holy Spirit of God. Confusion? and some of the things that the Word of God teaches concerning the Holy Spirit are confused and twisted in people's minds today, and it is given those leaders in the assemblies that have any concern at all for the progress of the Word of the Gospel, give them a good deal of concern.
I don't need to tell you what's happening here in North America. She possibly know better than I do. but I know that most of the main line denominations today are being penetrated by this thing. And actually the Roman Catholic Church. There's a large section of the Roman Catholic Church today that have gone over to the charismatic movement. Now these are things that have disturbed me. And for that reason I thought that during the week that were together in a very simple way, that we would like to cover what the Word of God has to say about the Holy Spirit of God. I want to start tonight, this morning, with these three first references to the Holy Ghost that we find in the Bible and the book of Genesis.
There are only three references to the Holy Spirit in Genesis, and it's this that I want to occupy our minds with this morning. First of all, in chapter one, the Holy Spirit in this creitorial power. And then in chapter six, the reference to the Holy Spirit of God at the time of the flood. My Spirit shall not forever strive with man. And then the final reference is this beautiful reference in chapter forty one. We were read about Joseph, a man in whom the Spirit of God is. It's the first reference to the indwelling Spirit of God to be found anywhere in Holy Scripture.
Before we look at the passages themselves, it might be as well just to point out one or two facts concerning the Holy Spirit. Anyone who would take a concordance and look at the various references to the Holy Ghost, then the Bible would find that it occurs about three hundred and fifty times. That is a tremendous field for investigation. There are eighty-five references to the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Under two hundred and sixty-two, reference to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, and it does cover a very wide field for static. It's perfectly obvious. In the time at our disposal, we won't be able to go into all these references, but I wanted to pick up.
Some of the most important, on day after day, I want to look at them rather carefully and systematically. And then at the end of the week, I would like to ask you whether what we find in the ecclesiastical word today is according to the word of God or not. So the law and so the testimony that they speak not according to this word is because there's no light on them. And after all, everything today, in the confused day in which we live, everything must be tested by the Word of God. So one or two things about the Holy Spirit himself. On the sound, yes, anyone who would look at God's Word is that the Holy Spirit is God.
He is a member of the Holy Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. As one of the old creeds puts it, equal in power and majesty and glory and dignity. I think that is a lovely way to put it. God the Father, by and large, is the one who works in the Old Testament. God the Son, for thirty-three years in his incarnation, He manifested God's heart and God's love when He was here among men. He said, the Father worketh hitherto, and I work. And for thirty-three and a half years here below, it was the Son of God that was manifested. But the age in which we live after Pentecost for a period of approximately two thousand years, it is the Holy Ghost who is working today.
And I'm awfully thankful he's in this little meeting here this morning. And we do look to the Holy Spirit of God to take up His Word and use it in power to each one of our hearts. I do believe that one of the great necessities of God's people today is to understand the work of the Holy Spirit and to allow him to work unhindered in our midst. And this is the object that we have before us during this week. So that in the Word of God, there are three hundred and fifty different references, eighty-five in the Old Testament, in the new, covering a very wide field for setting and for investigation.
Now the Holy Spirit is not only God, but we read of his personality. You know, in our version, unfortunately, in some places in the Gospel according to John, the pronoun it is used for the Holy Spirit of God. But anyone again who would look into it carefully would find that the pronoun should be he. He's a real person. Just as God the Father is a real person. Just as God the Son is a real person. The Holy Spirit of God is a real person too, not just an influence or a power. That's of course what Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy will tell us that the Holy Spirit is just an influence, something like electricity or gravitation.
or something of that kind. But the Holy Spirit of God is not only the third member of the Holy Trinity, but he is also a real person. He can be grieved, he can be quenched, he can be vexed, he can be blasphemed, he can be insulted. These are terms that are used in connection with the Holy Spirit in the Bible. And from the look at them, we come to the conclusion that he's a real person. And I'm awfully thankful that he's here this morning. Now getting this clearly in our mind, I want to refer just for a few minutes to the three passages that we have read this morning, more by way of introduction to what we want to speak about during this incoming week.
First of all, we get the Holy Spirit here in creation, his creatorial power. Notice the way that the Bible opens. In the beginning, God. Elohim. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and read that the Holy Spirit moves, hovered on the face of the waters, and God said, Let there be light, and there was light. You know, there are many, many different theories today about creation. and especially our young people are being bombarded today with all kinds of theories about the origin of the universe.
It would be so easy to allow ourselves to occupy all our time here this morning in speaking about these theories. I'm not going to waste your time here talking about it, but after fifty-five years of Christian experience, trying to study the Word of God and also reading a few books about these theories, of the origin of the universe. I have come back long ago to this first sentence in Holy Scripture. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and I bow my head and I say, Amen. We know a little bit about Darwin. And the book that he wrote in eighteen fifty nine, The Origin of Species, we've read it a number of times.
And as far as I'm concerned, after studying the theories that are being propagated and that are being pounded into the minds of our young people today, and in the most unexpected places where we find it, I've come back again to the simplicity, the utter simplicity of God's Word, and in simple faith, I bow my head and I say, Amen. In the beginning, God. Elohim, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost created the heaven on the earth. It has been said that this word Elohim, while a plural word, some would say that it's just a plural of majesty. Well, I believe it is a deeper meaning than that.
I believe that the triune God is involved here in creation. God the Father created. God the Son created. And God the Holy Spirit created. In the beginning God created. Now as far as God the Father is concerned, there are many passages of Scripture that speak of his creatorial power. And then there are a number of lovely passages that speak of the creatorial power of our blessed Lord. The Lord Jesus. There are three great passages, of course, that we're all familiar with. The first is John chapter one. We've already heard it mentioned this morning. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. How simple that is, and yet so sublime and so delightful. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. And then there's that tremendous doctrinal passage in Colossians chapter one and verse sixteen. And again we read there that all things were created by him and for him, and in him all things hold together or consist. What a wonderful passage that is. And then of course there's that other lovely, lovely doctrinal passage in Hebrews chapter one.
And there again we read that by him the worlds were made. And by the way the word for worlds there is ages. Not only the material world but actually the time periods of human history they were formed by him long before the world was. So as far as God the Father is concerned, we find His creatorial power in Holy Scripture. As far as God the Son is concerned, we find also His creatorial power. Not only the creator, but the abholder of all things. By him all things consist or hold together. And then, thirdly, we get the work of the Holy Spirit in creation.
You know, every time I look at this first paragraph in the Bible, I'm always... I was going to say tempted. That's not the word at all. I always feel like turning over to John chapter one. And I think there's a tremendous correspondence between the first three chapters of Genesis and the first three chapters of John. And practically everything that we find here in the first page of the Bible we find in the first page of the Gospel according to John. It's a lovely, lovely picture of the work of the Holy Spirit of God, not only in creation, but also in regeneration. We read here that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water.
I think it was old John Owen, the Puritan commentator. He said that the word moved here. It means a mother bird. The idea is a mother bird with wings outspread, spreading her wings over her nest, over her eggs in that nest, knowing that life is going to be produced. The Spirit of God hovered. over the darkness. Darkness was upon the face of the deep, but the Holy Spirit of God hovered. He moved upon the face of the waters on them. God's voice is heard. Let there be light on there was light. It's not a lovely picture of the work of the Holy Spirit of God today that we find in John's Gospel.
Oh, the darkness of this world. We find it everywhere. This world is a dark place. You remember in second Peter chapter one, We read there about the world being a squalid place. Other versions put it a dark place. And another version says it's a dirty place. And certainly that's not too strong an expression. Oh, this cruel world is characterized by darkness. The one that's responsible for that darkness is Satan himself. He is the prince of darkness. But all the Spirit of God he comes, and with wings out spread. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.
This is John chapter one. Here the darkness, the darkness comprehended it not. But we read that the Holy Spirit of God, he comes in, and he brings light and life and love. John chapter one, two, and three. So here we get the work of the Holy Spirit of God in creation. Now just a word or two about the second passage, and this is the Holy Spirit of God and His convicting and striving power. You know, between the creation of Adam and the flood is approximately a period of one thousand five hundred years. That is as far as the chronology of our Bible is concerned.
I believe that is authentic. I put my faith and trust in that. Adam lived for a period of about nine hundred and thirty years. On the second man Methuselah, he lived for nine hundred and sixty-nine years. On this period between Adam and the flood, it covers a period of approximately one thousand five hundred years. Now during that time those competent testimony here upon the earth, as far as Adam was concerned, God had revealed himself to him, he had spoken to him personally, and I believe as long as Adam lived, there was a testimony that came from that man.
He's a picture in many ways of the Lord Jesus himself, although he sinned against God and Christ never did. But yet the first man Adam, And the last Adam, there's a picture between the two. One is the head of an old creation and the other is the head of a new creation. But as long as Adam lived in that period before the flood, I believe he had a testimony. He had seen God. He had fellowship with God. And I believe that his testimony lasted as long as he lived. But then there was a man born called Methuselah. And Methuselah, his name means, when he is dead, it shall be sent.
And he lived for a period of nine hundred and sixty-nine years, the longest life recorded life of any human being. And as long as he lived, the fact that he was alive, it was a warning to the people that lived at that time. Now associated with these two men that were responsible for testimony, first of all, Adam, and then Methuselah, there were two other men. One was Enoch and the other was Noah. One was a prophet and the other was a preacher. So here we get four men in this period before the flood and there was a competent testimony for God at that time. And yet what do we read? We read as we come into chapter six.
There were four things that took place. First of all in relation to morals and then in relation to their mind. We read that every imagination of their heart was only evil in that continually. And then we read about corruption. Man had corrupted his way upon the earth. And then finally we read about violence. Beloved friends, this morning this is the world in which we live today. And it is fast ripening for judgment. But there's a little term here connected with the Holy Ghost. We read, my spirit shall not forever strive with man. And we thank God today that the Holy Ghost is here in this world to convict men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
You know, if it wasn't for that fact, if it wasn't for the fact that the Holy Ghost is here to do this great work and strive and convict in the hearts of men and women, I think our gospel preaching wouldn't be worth very much. We're completely dependent upon the Holy Spirit of God to convict men of their sins on these evil conditions that we find before the flood. In spite of this competent testimony, the Holy Ghost was there to do his work. I would like to ask you this morning, is it possible that a Holy Spirit would strive with a person and would cease to strive? I've heard this denied, but I believe it is possible.
Just as in this generation before the flood, this period before the flood, the time of conscience when God was dealing with men according to their conscience. At this time the Holy Spirit was working. And I believe at the present time the Holy Spirit is working too. But in spite of that working, restraining, convicting power of the Holy Ghost, things deteriorated and went down, down, down. And we believe it's just a little picture of the world in which we live today. You know, when we think of people's morals, we were to talk about this this morning, I think I could make everybody uncomfortable. We know a little bit about immorality, an unnatural sin that we find in the world today.
There's a word that we don't like to use, but it's becoming very, very common all over the world. Homosexuality. It was this that brought judgment upon the world of Solomon Gomorrah at that day, and it's increasing by leaps and bounds today all over the world. Not only morals, an unnatural sin, but also the mind of men. Men's minds are being directed into channels today that are absolutely against God. and then as far as corruption is concerned. I don't need to talk about that. We all know what has happened this last year or two in this beloved land.
And as you look at the world today, the Lord said, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed. I know that this coming of the Son of Man is his coming in glory. But I believe that the things that are developing today in the world in which we live, it's developing in such a way that the Word of God is being fulfilled, morals, the imagination of men's heart, only evil continually, corruption and then violence. We've been in the habit of listening to the news at ten o'clock every night. And you know, we almost feel like turning it off. We live in the New York area.
You know, every night on the ten o'clock news about the first half dozen items It's about murder, mugging, rape, killing, and some of the most terrible crimes every night. This is what's news today. And sometimes when we sit and listen to it, we just feel like switching it off. It's just a horrible, horrible catalogue of men and their condition before God at the present time. But thank God the Holy Spirit is here on his convicting men of sin. and were completely dependent upon him upon the Holy Spirit of God to do this work. But is it possible for the Holy Spirit to cease striving? You know, about sixty years ago I attended a series of meetings that were carried on by a man called John Blair.
And he spoke for six solid weeks. And I attended every one of those meetings. I was a young person at the time. And he spoke on hell every night. He spoke on eternal punishment. We don't often get that kind of preaching today. And as a matter of fact, I know an evangelist not so long ago who went to a place to have meetings, and he was told that he mustn't preach about hell. You know, I think that anyone who would say anything like that, I believe it's a deterioration. I believe that eternal punishment should be brought before men's minds and hearts, and they should be shaken up about their condition and the sight of God. But yet people don't want to hear it today.
But John Blair, every night for six solid weeks he spoke about hell, and at the end of that time there were about twenty people professed to be saved, and they all proved, at the end of fifty years that they got the real thing. It wasn't just some superficial profession, but they have lasted throughout life. But there was one young man at that time. He's still alive. And he deliberately turned his back upon God. When I was over in Australia a few years ago, I made it my business to go and see him. And I found, after a good deal of trouble, and I found that he was still in that condition. his heart this hard as a nether millstone.
He had deliberately turned his back upon God and gone into some oriental religion on some of the things he said about God's beloved Son. I wouldn't even repeat. I believe that the Holy Spirit has ceased to strive with him. There is a point by us unseen that crosses every path. It is that point between God's mercy and God's wrath. And I believe that when a person turns his back upon the Holy Spirit of God and refuses to allow that striving to take place in his heart, I believe it's possible that the Holy Spirit would sadly leave that person and leave them to go out into the dark and out into their doing.
First of all, we get the Holy Spirit in his creitorial power, and then the Holy Spirit in his striving, convicting power. Now, coming to the final passage, In Genesis chapter forty-one there's a lovely, lovely reference here to the Holy Ghost. You know, every time I look at the life of Joseph, I think we get one of the most perfect pictures of the Lord Jesus to be found anywhere in the Bible. I remember years ago, looking at his life and trying to compare him with the Lord. I was able to get about thirty-three different correspondences between Joseph and our Lord.
I picked up a book sometime after that written by a man called AW Pink, Gleanings in Genesis. And if I remember correctly, I'm trusting to my memory here, he has about a hundred and one different correspondences between Joseph and Christ. But then I picked up another book written by a lady, Miss Ada Habershon. And again, if I remember correctly, she has about a hundred and thirty-three correspondences between the Lord Jesus. And Joseph is a lovely, lovely picture of our Lord. You know, his life is composed of two parts. And the first part is seven steps down, down, down, down until you find him in jail.
And there he's lying for thirteen years in prison on account of the lie of a wicked woman. but then we find him brought up. He's brought up out of the prison. And this is the point where we get this lovely passage in Genesis chapter forty-one. And here we get seven steps up to the throne in this passage. And do you remember what Pharaoh said about him? When he was brought up from prison, He said, where can we find a man such as this is, in whom the Spirit of God is? And then we get these seven items of glory and majesty that were given to Joseph in his position there put upon the throne in Egypt.
I just want to remind you. of the fact that Joseph is a lovely type of the Lord Jesus. We will have an opportunity later on of looking at the Holy Spirit in relation to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, he was conceived of the Holy Ghost and he was filled with the Holy Ghost. He was led by the Holy Ghost and he was anointed by the Holy Ghost. These are terms that are used in connection with our Lord. And Joseph is a lovely picture and type of our Lord. And Pharaoh, He says something here, and I don't think he could have understood really what he was saying. But the Holy Spirit has recorded it. We read, Where can we find a man such as this is, a man on whom the Spirit of God is?
And then we get the seven points of glory and majesty and dignity that were given to him in his exaltation. I want you to look at them just for a moment. Before we look at these seven points, there's a three-fold headship that's given to Joseph here in his exaltation. First of all, we read, He shall be head over my house, and then over all my people, and then over all the land of Egypt. A threefold headship that was given to Joseph in majesty and glory there in the land of Egypt. But there are seven things here that are said about him. On the first days, he was given a ring. On the second day, he was given a robe.
Then he was given a golden chain. and then he was given a ride in the second chariot. And then he was, there was a proclamation, Barthani, Barthani. And then he was given a preeminent name, Zasma Saniya. It has a twofold meaning. It means in one language, It means the revealer of secrets. And in another language, it means the Savior of the world. And then the final thing that was given to Joseph in his exaltation was a Gentile bride. Oh, what a lovely picture this is of the Holy Spirit of God in relation to our blessed Lord. First of all, the ring.
When we think of a ring, we think of the marriage band. And of course, when a person is married, there's generally an exchange of rings. It is a token. of that love and affection that should characterize a man and his wife. That golden band. But the ring that was given to Joseph here was not a marriage ring. But it was a signet ring. On everything that happened in the land of Egypt, before it became law, that ring that was given to Joseph, it had that signet upon it. And when he put that mark upon any official document in the land of Egypt, that was what authorized it. It was a token of the authority that was given to him.
Do you remember what the Lord said before he went back to heaven? All authority has been committed to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. The signet ring, authority. Now the second thing was a robe. And again it would be interesting to look at the different garments that Joseph had. Oh, that coat of many colors that was dipped in the blood of a kid and brought back to his father. Is this thy son's coat? They didn't say, Is this our brother's coat?
Is this thy son's coat? And Jacob, he said, An evil beastness of Ardain. That was what they did with that lovely garment that his father gave him. What did men do with that body of our Lord? That holy thing? That perfect body that was given to Christ in his incarnation? Men nailed it to a tree and he went back to heaven. And I believe throughout eternity the Lord will preserve his manhood and that body that was given to him. The only marks of man's sin and brutality and cruelty are the nail prints on his hands and feet inside. the coat of many colors, and then the prison garment.
But here he's given a robe of pure white linen, a robe of righteousness. And oh, thank God, the one that's at God's right hand today is clothed with his garments of glory and beauty, as our great high praise, a ring and a robe, a chain. Remembering one of the Psalms, I think it's Psalm one hundred and five, we read there, His feet they hurt the fetters. his feet, they hurt pathetic. He drew something of the iron chain. But here in his glory and majesty he's given a golden chain. Did you ever see a Lord Mayor or a man who's the head of a municipality in this country? I don't know whether it's done so much in this country, but certainly in the country where I was born.
men that were the head of the municipality, they generally had a chain of office, and it was hung about their necks. And that golden chain, it represented the dignity that was conferred upon them at the head of that city or that municipality. So instead of the iron chain, Joseph, he gets a golden chain, and then the chariot. He got a ride on that second chariot. And thank God our blessed Lord in the coming day when he comes back again. He'll come back in glory and majesty and dignity as King of Kings and Lord of the Lord. And then we get the proclamation. Bar the knee, bar the knee, bar the knee. Everything we find here we find in synoptic form in Philippians chapter two, who being in the form of God.
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, the seventh steps down. From God had glory, down to the death of the cross, the seventh steps up. But then the seventh steps up. wherefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow. Do you get the point? Every knee should bow. Bar the knee, bar the knee, bar the knee. Things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.
They'll bar the knee to that one who went down, stooped down to Calvary Strauss, and thank God in glory and majesty, at God's right hand, they will bar the knee. and then the preeminent name, the revealer of secrets, and then the savior of the world. How lovely this is. But the last thing that was given to Joseph was the Gentile bride. It's all right to have a ring and a robe and a chain and a chariot and a proclamation and a preeminent name. But Joseph needed something for his heart, needed something for his affection. And here at the end of this lovely, lovely record, we read that he has a Gentile bride by his side in this glory and dignity.
Thank God we will form a part of that bride of our blessed Lord in that coming day. There are many other things about these passages that I'd love to talk about. Our time is more than gone. I'm not going to abuse my privilege. But these are the first three references of the Holy Spirit of God. First of all, his cretorial power. Secondly, his convicting power. And thirdly, this lovely, lovely picture of our Lord, a man and whom this Spirit of God is. That lovely relationship between the Holy Spirit of God and our Blessed Lord, here upon him. May God bless his word for his name's sake. I shall be blessed. Our God and Father, we do thank thee for thy word and give thee simplicity.
And our Father, we do pray that thou will bless it this morning. We do thank thee for so many that are gathered together. And our Father, we pray that there may be any here this morning that know not Christ the Savior, that the Holy Spirit may convict them of sin. Lord, we can't do it. We know that it's only the Holy Spirit of God can do this great work. And we thank thee that that word that was given, that day when creation... was brought into being, let there be light. We thank thee for the light of the gospel that can shine into every heart through believing in him. Now we commend this to thee. Bless thy word, we pray, and bring glory to thine own well, beloved son.