In the last message we considered ten matters related to the Spirit: holiness, life, law, peace, joy, love, hope, power, service, and preaching. Now we shall consider another ten items to impress us with the richness of the indwelling Spirit.
In the Spirit we have freedom. Romans 8:2 says that the law of the Spirit of life has freed us from the law of sin and of death. Verse 21 of the same chapter speaks of the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Today we are in the process of becoming free. The entire universe with everything in it is in a state of slavery. In Romans 8 this slavery, this bondage, is called the slavery of corruption. Things die because they are held by this slavery of corruption. But the Spirit is setting us free from this slavery. One day we shall be fully out of the slavery of corruption and fully into the freedom of glory.
Today we also enjoy the Spirit as a foretaste (8:23). We need to learn to have a greater appreciation for the Spirit as a foretaste. How sweet, tender, and enjoyable this foretaste is to us!
The sonship we have in the Spirit (8:15) includes a number of items: the life of the son, the sphere of the son, the position of the son, the living of the son, the enjoyment of the son, the birthright of the son, the inheritance of the son, and the manifestation of the son. We have such an all-inclusive sonship in our spirit. If we stay away from the spirit, we are kept from the enjoyment of the sonship. However, as we are waiting for the full sonship, we should daily enjoy the sonship by exercising our spirit.
Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Here we have the leading of the Spirit. As sons of God, we have the Spirits leading. We have something that functions within us spontaneously and automatically to give us the Lord’s leading. However, we need to cooperate by paying attention to this leading and by honoring it. Sometimes we say that we do not know the Spirit’s leading, when deep within we know it quite well. We may not know it in the mind, but we know it in our spirit. Perhaps you are wondering whether or not you have the Lord’s leading to participate in a certain activity. Do not come to me and ask me what you should do, for I shall tell you that within your spirit you have the leading of the Holy Spirit. Since you already have the Spirit’s leading, you should simply honor it and obey it.
Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God.” This verse indicates that we have the witnessing of the Spirit. The Spirit witnesses that we are God’s children.
Furthermore, the Spirit bears witness that, as the children of God, we should not wear certain kinds of clothing or go to certain worldly places. Many times this witness bothers us. On the one hand, it assures us that we are children of God. But on the other hand, it convicts us when we do things that are not in keeping with being a child of God. This indicates that to be a child of God is to be limited and restricted. However, this limitation and restriction are not a suffering, but a protection. Thank the Lord that we are preserved and protected by the inner witnessing of the Spirit.