Beloved Radio, friends, we greet you earnestly in the precious name of our wonderful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and welcome you to our present meditation and study on the biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit. May we again re-emphasize the importance of understanding a thorough teaching upon the doctrine of the Holy Spirit from the precious Word of God. We have already suggested the personality of the Holy Spirit we must honor and in our hearts revere. He is a person, and thus we rejoice to know that he is a living and an eternal person. I would ask my fellow listener, do you believe And do you acknowledge that he is a real person, just as real a person as God himself, even as the Lord Jesus Christ as we have learned in our preceding message? But today we would ask the question, Do you believe that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son in the triune Godhead? This subject of study we would consider today, his equality in the Godhead. For the word of God declares him to be one of the persons of the great Godhead, and as such he is co-equal with God the Father and with God the Son. I would very much like to add a word of exhortation. an admonition at this very point. I am so deeply conscious in these present days, there is an unjust familiarity, even amongst believers in the Lord Jesus, in speaking of the persons of the Godhead, and particularly in speaking of the personality of the Son of God and of the Holy Spirit. May I point out to you the dignity of the Godhead. Will you not recognize the greatness of the Godhead? When we speak of God, when we speak of Christ, when we speak of the Holy Spirit, we are taking the names of the great triune Godhead upon our lips. and I am deeply aware today more than at any time in my Christian experience of words of familiarity that diminish, depreciate and lower the greatness of these divine persons. I would humbly but faithfully ask my Christian friends particularly, call them by their great names, God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the Holy Spirit. Revere them. They are divine persons. But today we would consider the proof from the Scripture that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and with God the Son. The first proof from the Word of God that we take is this. The Holy Spirit is called God in the Scriptures. Now I want to compare two Scriptures. First in Isaiah chapter six, verse eight and nine, and then compare it with a quotation that is given in Acts chapter twenty-eight, verses twenty-five and twenty-six. The New Testament Scripture in the book of the Acts will quote the Old Testament scripture in Isaiah chapter six. First we read Isaiah chapter six, verse eight and nine. And the prophet we read hears the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send and who will go for us? The prophet answers, Here am I, send me. Then the Lord says, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not. And see ye indeed, but perceive not. Now note carefully it was the voice of the Lord that spake too, as well as through the prophet. Now in Acts chapter twenty-eight, verses twenty-six, the last chapter in the book of the Acts, the Apostle Paul quotes the words that were spoken long before and by Isaiah. But let me quote the introductory words only of the Apostle in verse twenty-five. Well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers. Now the reading in Isaiah declared it was the Lord speaking. But in the twenty-eight chapter of the book of the Acts Paul attributes this message to be the voice of the Holy Spirit, who also is God. Thus we may recognize by this comparison of Isaiah six with Acts chapter twenty eight, the Holy Spirit is called very God. Now there is a similar comparison that can be seen between chapter thirty-one in the book of Jeremiah verse thirty-four and Hebrews chapter ten and verse fifteen and seventeen may I remind you that Jeremiah thirty-one declares that their sins and iniquities will I remember no more saith the Lord now this is quoted in the book of Hebrews chapter ten and we especially quote only the fifteenth verse though you may read verses fifteen, sixteen and seventeen, and have the context in its entirety. But here again the Old Testament prophecy is attributed to the Holy Spirit, as chapter ten of the book of Hebrews in verse fifteen declares, Wherefore the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us, for after he had said before, Again we repeat, the Old Testament prophecy gave honor to the Lord as being the speaker. The New Testament reading in Hebrews ten attributes the message to the Holy Spirit himself, equally indicating the Spirit of God in his attributes with the other persons of the Godhead. But now I want to read one special New Testament scripture, which stands out very forcibly in relation to the fact that the Holy Spirit is called God. This is found in the book of the Acts, chapter five, verse three and four. Many of you may know the incident of that early part of chapter five of Acts, where the sin of Ananias and Sapphira is recorded. the first occasion of public sin appearing in the early church. I wish you to read with me and listen to the solemn words that Peter said on that occasion, listen to him speaking. But Peter said, Ananias, why hast Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whilst it remained? Was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto man, but unto God. I would like to re-emphasize the solemnity of this incident. Tis the saddest incident that you may read in the early chapters of the Book of the Acts. The first public sin in the early church committed by one man and his wife, Ananias and Sapphira, they both were seeking a great name for themselves amongst the people of God to be honored and to be recognized. They sought to do what others had done, selling their property and yielding it to the Lord and thus laying the price of it at the feet of the Apostles for the work of the Lord and the need of the saints. But though they made the promise to sell and give it all to the Lord, they kept back part of that which they had promised. Now it was already promised to God. And when thus they were exposed, undoubtedly by the Holy Spirit through Peter, we find that when Ananias sought to deceive the Holy Spirit by the fact of deception, That which he was committing, his deceptive act was a sin against, not Peter, not the members of the early church, but against a divine person, God, the Holy Spirit. Yes, he is called God, one who is co-equal with the Father and with the Son. May I read the words that Peter said once again? Anonize, why yet Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Why hast it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Now these are but a few. but they are completely and thoroughly evidence of Scripture that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father, with God the Son, and that on these occasions which we have read from the New Testament, in comparison with some Old Testament Scripture, He is called God. My beloved, I wonder if as believers we reverence this blessed person of the Holy Spirit in humble but worshipful acknowledgement as being very God in the great Triune Godhead. May God write this truth upon our hearts as well as upon our consciences, for it is a tremendous truth, the Holy Spirit is called God. I'm sure the very solemnity of this truth should remind us to be careful of our conduct as well as our attitude and perhaps to refrain from undue familiarity with the great person of the Godhead known as the Holy Spirit. Father, we do pray humbly but earnestly. We shall see the greatness of this person, the Holy Spirit, in his equality in the Godhead. For thine name's sake and glory, amen.