Which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we. (i) (Quality: Very good)

[0:00] With the Lord's help this morning, I will direct your attention to the Acts of the Apostles, the 10th chapter, and the latter part of the 47th verse.

[0:13] The Acts of the Apostles, the 10th chapter, and the latter part of the 47th verse, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we.

[0:33] Which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we. Amen. When Peter went with Cornelius, he was engaged in an experience that he had never had before.

[1:01] Therefore, there had been wrought in him by the Holy Ghost a willingness to go unto the Gentile church, and the truth of the expansion and extension of the preaching of the gospel to both Jew and Gentile had been presented to him in a vision.

[1:33] And from this point of view, we look at the words which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we. Peter could look upon these Gentiles and behold this great truth, that the Holy Ghost had been given also to the Gentiles as well as to the Jew.

[1:59] Secondly, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we. He looked upon those before him who had been affected through his preaching of the gospel to them.

[2:18] And he saw there those that were not baptized in the word in as far as those as he looked upon, and in the word we as far as those of us that had been baptized.

[2:41] This, therefore, brings us to consider the point of importance contained in these few words which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we.

[3:01] The receiving, imparting of the Holy Ghost is important to us all.

[3:14] Because if this miracle of grace is not experienced, then there is only one end. And that is, we're eternally lost.

[3:31] It is, therefore, of great importance to each of us to consider as to whether we have received the Holy Ghost.

[3:44] And in order to bring some conclusion into your souls about this, may we be helped of God to set before you a few points that will enable you to at least have a hope that you have received the Holy Ghost.

[4:09] Cornelius and others with him evidently had received of the Holy Ghost in respect to the new birth.

[4:33] They perhaps did not see things as clearly as afterwards they would. But, by what we read in the foregoing part of the chapter, it is evident that Cornelius was a man that feared God.

[4:54] A devout man and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God all way.

[5:07] Now, not everybody in the Italian band at Caesarea would have been found in this situation.

[5:21] And you may be able to look at similar situations in regard to those with whom you have to do, of whom it could not be said.

[5:37] though the circumstances outwardly seem to be the same, that is, they were all in the same vocation, yet, there were those that feared God with all his house.

[5:55] Cornelius, conducting his house in the fear of God and setting forth those things as far as he knew them in respect to the truth of God.

[6:08] We are bound to say then that Cornelius, this Gentile, this certain man in Caesarea, this centurion of the band called the Italian band, was a man that knew something about the Holy Ghost.

[6:37] Now, in order that you may come to some conclusion as to whether you have received the Holy Ghost or not, we would set one or two points before you.

[6:52] Now, first of all, the new birth. It is not without some reason that the Greek word for the ghost or spirit, particularly directed to the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit, it has a very wide meaning, also meaning a current of air, a breeze, and matters of that like.

[7:28] This brings some forcefulness to the Lord's teaching to Nicodemus when the Lord began to explain to him what the new birth was all about.

[7:42] He says, Marvel not, but I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but cannot tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth.

[8:01] So is every one that is born of the Spirit. Is it not peculiar, remarkable, that the original word used in respect to ghost, in the word expression, the Holy Ghost, should have this wide meaning to show the diversification and work of the Spirit of God upon the soul?

[8:36] This has often been a comfort to the church of God to know what actually takes place when a person is born again.

[8:47] that person may be indeed just standing, engaging in the same things as a moment or two before, pursuing the same course as a moment or two before.

[9:07] Paul himself, shall we say Saul of Tarsus himself, is a living witness to this truth he was engaged in his nefarious pursuits, inhaling men and women to prison and in that same time, moment, it was as though the wind blew and suddenly there was a brightness which shone above the brightness of the sun and in an instant he was a changed man.

[9:52] It may well have been difficult for him to say what had happened to him at that time. What had happened was this, that the Holy Ghost had come in this way and manner, the wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell when it cometh and whither it goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

[10:24] But then, it is not just the wind blowing, it is the effect that the wind or the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost coming upon a person.

[10:40] What effect that has? It had a deep effect on Saul of Tarsus in this way that he cried out and said, Lord, what will thou have me to do?

[10:59] And we see here one of the mysterious workings of the Holy Ghost in a person's soul that they do what they have never done before.

[11:13] They cry out. Now, has that happened to you? Pursuing a certain course, kind of being willing to continue that course, and yet suddenly stopped in that course and being stopped in that course, having a solemn awareness of guilt upon your conscience and a crying unto God.

[11:48] Saul's life was totally altered because the Holy Ghost had completely changed everything in him. indeed, we may put it more carefully, that there was that given to him now which superseded that which he still had and which he would still have to encounter through the rest of his life.

[12:18] That was what he wanted to do. so the effect of the Spirit of God upon Saul and upon the people of God is marked in just this way.

[12:35] What wilt thou have me to do? Our natural mind and people that are in a natural profession of religion are only concerned with what they want to do.

[12:56] And the result of that is that they even go so far as to think that what they want to do, God wants them to do.

[13:08] Now when the Spirit came, as the wind blowing and so on, there was this change. What wilt thou have me to do?

[13:23] Has the Holy Ghost come upon us? But we have known that change. What wilt thou have me to do? The mighty God, I have fulfilled my course.

[13:40] I have done always that which I wanted to do. And now God has come and has put a new spirit within me.

[13:55] What wilt thou have me to do? One of the clear indications of the work of grace in the soul is this change.

[14:09] There has always been leaning leaning to one's own understanding. But the word of God in the proverb speaks so much against this.

[14:22] Commit thy way unto the Lord and lean not to thine own understanding. God is God to be.

[14:33] In other words there is an instruction which is conveyed to the soul Lord what will thou have me to do.

[14:47] But then we pass on to another point which is this. the Holy Ghost tells us in the scriptures in the Romans as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God.

[15:10] Now Saul himself was led of the spirit of God. He went on to Damascus and the spirit of God did not say go back to Jerusalem.

[15:26] He went on to Damascus and in his way of wickedness God was bringing him to the place where he would show him his distinguishing grace.

[15:42] So he is told to continue to Damascus and there it shall be told thee what thou must do. Now this brings us to consider the point that the Lord takes us in our way whatever that way is and brings us to a point where he will reveal his sovereign grace in our souls.

[16:20] man had to be prepared and maybe a man has to be prepared to meet your case has done in the past.

[16:33] You see the spirit of God does not just work in one person. the spirit of God yea Jesus himself spoke to soil of Tarsus from heaven but the spirit of God also spoke to Ananias and one of the features of the work of the spirit is this divine preparation not only in your soul but in the soul of another in order that the soul of another may be useful to you.

[17:15] Now Ananias as you know was in great trouble when the Lord spoke to him he said I heard much about this man and then God told him behold Saul prayeth this is all the work of the Holy Ghost now when Peter looked upon the people to whom he preached at Caesarea he says which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we we bring the point I just mentioned to the immediate context the Holy Ghost had spoken to Cornelius in a vision and in that vision he had been instructed to send men to

[18:15] Joppa to Simon whose surname is Peter who dwelleth by the seaside at the house of one Simon a Tanner what explicit directions were given to Cornelius by the Holy Ghost in his vision but that was the working of one end and the Holy Ghost then worked in Peter's heart to prepare him to receive these men the leading of the Spirit now have we been the subjects of being led by the Spirit whether it be in giving a specific instruction to go to a certain place and to seek out a certain person whether

[19:23] Cornelius or rather those he sent were sufficiently instructed or troubled shall I say by Satan's temptations to say well he'll never receive you well we're not told that in the scripture but it may arise in your heart that if you go he'll never receive you we have the example before us here of what the Holy Ghost accomplishes in the way of preparation in another there have been many over the years that have been greatly fearful about speaking out as to what God has done for their souls because they have thought that they would never be believed and they would never be received little realizing that as

[20:32] God worked in the heart of Peter to prepare him for the reception of these Gentile sinners and to preach to them the gospel so he had also prepared the hearts of the one perhaps to whom they had been directed and the one whom they were greatly afraid would never receive them in these early days of the church this was a great matter for the Gentiles to send down to a Jew was a tremendous thing there was a great barrier Peter makes it clear what a barrier there was a barrier there had been and there was only one that could break it down do you see barriers in your life then there is only one that can break it down and that is the

[21:37] Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost does break it down here it is that they go before you the Holy Ghost went before Joshua the mighty God went before Joshua the Holy Ghost is the mighty God performing whatsoever he will and bringing about his purposes and let us not forget this important truth that the Holy Ghost is in every place our natural mind cannot grasp this and yet by some simple references it is easily proved we are meeting together for worship here this morning if our desires are right before

[22:41] God then we shall have desired the Holy Ghost to be with us but what about other causes of truth if the Holy Ghost is with us will he not be can he not be with them also we know that in the gatherings that worship together not only here but elsewhere they will be imploring God for the same blessed spirit and shall we have not the witness from time to time that in those other congregations the witness of God was there the presence of God was there this indeed is one proof of the Holy Ghost being in every place but then the Holy Ghost being the spirit of prayer indites prayer into the soul or we may see this twofold aspect has God put it into your heart to pray for a certain person you know there have been cases where people have been suddenly impressed to offer up urgent and fervent prayer for a person that's miles away and about whom and whose circumstances they know nothing but they must pray at that time

[24:16] I remember reading of a case I cannot remember the details now of this happening to one person and after some time the two people concerned met and the one that had this particular movement of the spirit of God to pray for one at a distance ask that one of a distance if he remembered being remembered a certain day in a certain time and that person was able to speak of that certain day and that certain time when he was in a particular trouble he couldn't fail to remember the time now here was the Holy Ghost moving in one person to pray for another not knowing the circumstances and yet the person praying being assured that that other person needed help needed the spirit of

[25:20] God needed the teaching of God as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God and so Peter observes which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we there there is the point there that they that Peter could see the leading of the Holy Ghost can we see the leading of the Holy Ghost in our lives leading us in our spirits leading us to secret prayer leading us to wait upon God leading us to pray sometimes and to ask for such things for ourselves or for other people and it seemed quite strange we couldn't understand why we did we might even have called ourselves fools thrusting such prayers but subsequently being led by the Holy Ghost it was confirmed when the object of our prayers the person involved in our prayers knowing their circumstances it brought to light that God was in it there is such a thing though it may not appear very often in the present day as travail in

[27:01] Zion now travail in Zion is the work of the Holy Ghost we may spend a lot of energy natural energy in wishful thinking and engaging sometimes in all sorts of things that might bring a possibility into a probability but this kind of natural working is quite distinguishable from the work of the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost in this way will be as the wind where it missed and suddenly you will be led by the Spirit of God to fear a travail a travail for others you know the church of God is not brought forth willy nilly we cannot expect any children to be born in Zion unless there is a travailing of the church sometimes we can reach a wrong conclusion and say well God will do this

[28:31] God will bring about the salvation of this one and that one it is true that he will but we must not forget that the Holy Spirit causes a travail in the church of God and where that travail is we may expect the bringing forth of children and where it isn't then we should be presumptuous to think so then we find that to travel in Zion is beyond us we may have longing thoughts and desires we might desire to see the church of God established and built up and so on but we shall recognize when the Holy Ghost comes upon us if he does and we hope he may and hope he is in respect to travail now travail and the bringing forth of children is not engaged in without some pain neither is it engaged in without some exercise of patience you have need of patience that after you have done the will of God you might receive the promise now as in nature so we may say in grace that the bringing forth of children takes time takes time and there was indeed a bringing forth of children with respect to the

[30:25] Gentile church here now here is the time of bringing forth a time of manifestation the Holy Ghost in a very special way has watched over Cornelius and his house and has secretly been working in their heart you say what about the church of God we shall find sufficient reference in these early days of the church to discover that there was a traveling for the birth of children in that newly established church but during the time of what we might call pregnancy there is a secret work going on and while some indication might be given and some information received that there is a secret work going on yet there is a time when the manifestation of that child will be made known now in the meanwhile the church of God labors now as in that which is natural so that labor may start off as it were in a quiet way and have its early indications experience of what we might call spiritual travail but as the time goes on and as the time of delivery is about to arrive so the pain increases the pain increases the fervency of desire and anxiety of the spirit will be increased too does the child know anything about this that is to be born but the mother does the mother in the word of God is referred to as the church now the church knows if there is a child about to be made manifest because the time of increasing pain anxiety and looking for that which they have watched over for months they now feel to be coming to a head and the

[33:09] Holy Ghost is in all this in the spiritual thing where children are made manifest in the church of God spiritual children they are children that are being led instructed taught by the Holy Ghost and led along being perhaps quite unaware that the church of God is also in trouble for them now what is happening during this period wherein Zion travels what is happening in the child itself well that child is gradually developing in secret until such a time that it may be brought forth and this is so with regard to the workings of the spirit in a soul now we want to trace one or two of these things forth as the spirit may help us because herein rests some important evidences there is an awareness of life there is an awareness of life do you find there is an awareness of life if you are a child not manifest a life that is so new a life wherein the first necessary workings of the spirit are being formulated in your soul you see when a child is manifest brought forth from the wound it is very dependent it has been dependent before dependent upon

[35:28] God for life given and sustained but also dependent upon the mother for protection for nourishment and so on equally so the life of God begun by the spirit in the soul is begun and carried on by God indeed but not without the travail the protection and the nourishment of the church of God now this brings us into a very strong relationship showing us how dependent we are upon one another for the prosperity of Zion the establishment of the church new births being brought brought about and

[36:28] God being glorified in these things so there is a feeling of life and there is a feeling of movement do you credit some of you that the church of God could look at you and see that there is life in your soul and that there is movement in your spirit well where the church of God is lively and there will be this feeling there will be this witness in the heart of the church all the working of the Holy Ghost in being aware that there is a child to be born how long they may not be sure but there will be a watching and then there is a concern for the nourishment of that child and how will this be accomplished it will not be accomplished by what we think ourselves might be the case see people rush in sometimes and rush in where angels fear to tread and you see sometimes people have thought well now if the life of

[38:05] God is in that person they will want a Bible well this is fair comment but you know we shall need a great deal of wisdom and a great deal of care and a great deal of prayerful anxiety that we do not do harm to the developing infant by not giving it the right nourishment it's a great mystery in regard to the period before a child is born you see the feeding of that child is the mystery of God it is certainly carried in the mother's womb but can you convey how that child is nourished can you convey how the soul of the children of Zion is nourished what does the church do by the

[39:09] Holy Ghost there is a praying there is a travailing there is a waiting upon God all movements of the Spirit of God sometimes they are stronger sometimes they are less sometimes they may not be scarcely visible at all but nonetheless there is such are born and have received the Holy Ghost as well as we even in the earliest stages so there is a watching over children as they develop as well as those that are older and are concerned in the in the extension of the church of God but to come to more general things to this point which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we there will be a reaction if you have received the Holy Ghost then you will be attracted and attached to others that have received the Holy Ghost a mother is aware of her child in her womb religion the church of God if they are of the

[40:26] Holy Ghost and the workers of the Holy Ghost will feel that the work of God has begun in another not by what is said but there is that which is communicated by the Holy Ghost sometimes our forefathers have referred to a Holy Ghost religion it is really contained in this it is that which the Holy Ghost begun and begins and will carry on and will bring to a successful conclusion now the thing is and we must ask ourselves this question if we are to be advantaged this morning as to whether we know anything of feeling a movement to others a movement to a child not manifested and whether a child not manifested feels a movement to the saints of God one of the significant points that the scripture raises is this we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren and the scripture enlarges upon that point we love the brethren when we love God and keep his commandments now this is the movement of the Holy

[42:03] Ghost within you love the brethren is it because of Christ for Christ in them the hope of glory that you love them then that work is of the Holy Ghost and you love the brethren those perhaps who are not yet made manifest but you love them why is it because you see that Christ is being indeed formed in their heart and that there is an inward communication secret in itself by the Holy Ghost which has given you each the feeling that the work of God is being carried on within there was something evidently conveyed to Peter which enabled him to say which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we and if Peter had not received the

[43:04] Holy Ghost he could not have made this statement and if you have not received the Holy Ghost you could not make such a statement with regard to any other person we leave it in the Lord's hands may he command his blessing Amen It