• Lecture on Genesis(5)

    Division of Spirit(2) [Genesis 1:1]
    2009.07.31 | Pastor Emeritus Jaerock Lee
    • Scripture

      Genesis 1:1
      [1] In the beginning God created heavens and the earth

      Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

      This is the fifth lecture on Genesis.
      In the last lecture, I explained the Division of Spirit that only God the Trinity can perform.
      Among them, I told you about the Division of Spirit that God the Father and God the Son does.
      I begin this lecture with the division of Spirit performed by God the Holy Spirit.
      The Holy Spirit also has His own original entity and divided entities.
      God the Holy Spirit is one of God the Trinity. He was of the division from God the Origin (Original God).
      As an individual being like God the Father and the Lord, He also has assumed a human-like image.
      I will call the original entity of "God, the Holy Spirit' just 'the Holy Spirit' from now on.
      The Holy Spirit can also separate a divided entity from Him like God the Father and the Lord do.

      The most well known divided entity of the Holy Spirit is "the Holy Spirit that dwells in the heart of God's children."
      The divided entity Himself that is separated from the Holy Spirit who is in the form of God the Origin is this "Holy Spirit."
      Of course, we may call the Holy Spirit who dwells in our heart "God the Holy Spirit."
      However, you should remember that 'the Holy Spirit" that is mentioned in the majority of the references to Him in the bible are referring to the divided spirit of God the Holy Spirit.
      The Sprit of God the Holy Spirit has worked not only as 'the Holy Spirit' but also as various other names and forms.
      First, in the days of the Old Testament, He appeared mostly as "the Spirit."
      For example, 1 Chronicles 12:18 says, "Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was the chief of the thirty."
      Ezekiel 43:5 also says, "And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house."
      I will explain why He was called "the Spirit" in great detail later.

      Other names for the dividend entity of the Holy Spirit are "the Helper" as in John 14:26, "the Spirit of truth" as in John 14:17, "a new heart and a new spirit" as in Ezekiel 36:26, and "the Spirit of His Son" as in Galatians 4:6.
      As you read the bible, you can find that the divided entities of the Holy Spirit appeared in various forms.
      In Matthew 3:16, when Jesus was baptized at the Jordan River, "the Spirit of God" descended as a dove.
      In Acts Chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came down like "a violent rushing wind" and "a tongue of fire."
      Likewise, the Holy Spirit can appear in various forms. However, He can also appear in the form of His original entity.
      Just as the Spirit of the Lord is like the image of the Lord, the Holy Spirit can also appear in the same image of His original entity.
      The Holy Spirit is still appearing in the image of the original entity in the dreams or vision of many people.
      However, they don't recognize the Holy Spirit because they don't know the appearance of the Holy Spirit's original entity.
      Moreover, there are many people who don't think the Holy Spirit has a certain form.
      They imagine that the Holy Spirit is in the form of fire, a wind, or that of a dove. They lock their thoughts within a boundary.
      [There was the time when the original entity of the Holy Spirit came down to this earth.
      The original entity of God the Son came down to this earth as Jesus and became the Christ.
      Likewise, the original entity of the Holy Spirit also came down to this earth temporarily and accomplished the providence of God.
      This will be also explained later in this series on Genesis.]

      Dear brothers and sisters.
      I told you earlier that signs and wonders follow and grace comes upon us as the Spirit of the Lord is together with us.
      It is the same as the Holy Spirit, the divided entity of God the Holy Spirit comes down.
      First of all, Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
      When the Holy Spirit comes down, the works of God's power take place.
      Also, Acts 2:17-18 says, "AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy."
      When the Holy Spirit comes down like this, various divine gifts are given such as prophesying and seeing visions also occur.
      1 Corinthians Chapter 12 gives more detailed explanation about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
      They are the gifts of the word of wisdom, the gift of the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, the gift of healing, the gift of the manifestation of miracles, the gift of prophecy, the gift of the distinguishing of spirits, the gift of various kinds of tongues, the gift of the interpretation of tongues, and so on.
      Of course, it is not true that all these gifts are given when the Holy Spirit comes down.
      According to the will of the Holy Spirit, He gives the gifts to those who have prepared proper vessels.
      By the way, the most important role of the Holy Spirit is to teach the children of God in the way of Truth.
      It is just as Jesus said in John 16:13, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth."
      God the Holy Spirit knew our weakness, and sent the Holy Spirit to our hearts.
      As the children of God commit sin, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.
      He also reminds God's children of God's will and help them realize the love of God.
      The Holy Spirit keeps on helping them to increase their faith so that they can take a better heaven by force.
      I urge you to receive such great and tender care of the Holy Spirit with great thanks.
      I hope that you will listen to every detail of the voice of the Holy Spirit, and that you will make obedience to any interfere of the Holy Spirit.
      May you be in the fullness of the Holy Spirit all the time and march on forward to Heaven and New Jerusalem in happiness of heart, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ I pray!

      [Amen]

      [God's designations/appellations of Importance to know]

      Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
      Now, let's take a close look at the meanings of names applied to God the Trinity when They work as a divided entity.
      It's very important to correctly understand the names of God the Trinity.
      Depending on how one uses the names of God the Trinity, the relationship between you and God may change, as well as the answers and blessings that are received can be affected.
      Let's take an example.
      Say, there is the head of a big enterprise.
      The employees of the company may call him, "the Chairman," or "CEO."
      However, his son may call him "father."
      However, there are situations in which it may be better for his son to call him "chairman" as well.
      If the son is working in the company and his father is the chairman, in an official meeting, it would be better for the son to address his father as "Mr. Chairman" and not as "Dad".
      It's not wrong for his son to call him 'father' or 'Dad', but in official situations it is better for the son to call him 'Mr. Chairman' or refer to him as "the chairman".
      However, suppose there is a man who calls him only 'the gentleman'.
      Then, we can say that this person probably knows nothing about him.
      Now, which one do you think the chairman feels the closest to himself among his employees? Is it the one who calls him 'Mr. chairman', the one who calls him 'the gentleman', or his son who calls him 'father'?
      Of course, it is obviously his son who calls him 'father.'
      In this same way, you may feel a different level of intimacy with someone depending on the name you use toward them.
      I'll give another example.
      Most of the members of the congregation of this church call me "Senior Pastor."
      And there are some who recently came to this church, or who came from outside this church to receive my prayer may call me 'Pastor.'
      Those who don't know anything about me may simply address me as 'Mister'.
      Well, it's rare for me to be called just 'mister'. Actually, even though people don't know me at all, they usually address me as "Sir"
      Now, if these three people ask me to pray, which one will I feel closer to in my heart?
      And, which one can be said to know me best?
      It is the one who calls me "Senior Pastor."
      The same principle applies to our God the Father.
      You may call Him, "God," "the LORD God," "God the Father," or "Abba Father."
      Each of the names can represent the level of intimacy between the caller and God.
      And answers and blessings may vary according to the names.
      Our Jesus always called God the Father, "Father."
      However, when He was hung on the cross as a sinner who took all the sin of the world, Jesus called Him, "GOD."
      I've told you that there is a difference between when you pray in the name of 'Jesus' and when you pray in the name of 'Jesus Christ.'
      Matthew 1:21 says, "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
      Jesus is 'the One who will save His people from their sins'.
      As Jesus died on the cross, broke the authority of death, and resurrected, He became "Jesus Christ."
      Therefore, "Jesus" is the name given before He broke the authority of death, but "Jesus Christ" is the name given after He broke the authority of death and resurrected.
      "Christ" is the same as "Messiah," and it refers to the One who is the Savior."
      Therefore, it is more proper to pray in the name of "Jesus Christ," rather than in just the name of "Jesus."
      The level of authority and the dimension of the answers to prayers also become different.
      For example, when you drive the enemy devil and Satan away, if you pray in the name of "Jesus Christ," they tremble in fear and go away.
      It is because the name "Jesus Christ" contains the meaning that Jesus broke the authority of death and resurrected.
      Since Apostle Paul clearly knew such spiritual meaning, he favored the use of "our Lord Jesus Christ."
      Likewise, it is important to know how to correctly understand and use the names of God the Trinity.
      In the bible, there are about 30 names used to call on God the Trinity.
      Please have a good understanding of the meanings of each.
      They were actually explained by God during the third 'Servants of God' seminar in 1985.
      You can become a powerful servant of God when you have a clear understanding of spirit.
      The congregation also becomes powerful workers to the extent you make bread from the spiritual word.
      Therefore, I hope that you will understand in spirit what I'm going to tell you.
      Dear brothers and sisters,
      Do you remember the difference between the record of the Bible saying "God," and when it says "the LORD God"?
      When it says "God", except in some specifically special cases, "God" is 'God the Trinity' working together.
      On the other hand, when it says, 'Jehovah', 'the LORD' or "the LORD God," then the work done is of the 'Father God' or 'God the Father' of the Trinity.
      Since God the Father worked by Himself in the days of the Old Testament, the name, "the LORD", only appears in the Old Testament.
      When God the Father is referred to in the New Testament, He is called "Father," "Abba Father," or "God our Father."
      It is because, even the people were the people of God in the Old Testament, they become the children of God when they accept Jesus Christ.
      Can you understand the difference between "God" and "the LORD" (written in all capital letters).
      To make it simple, "God" refers to "God the Trinity," but "the LORD" (written in all caps) is only "God the Father".
      When God the Father worked as "the LORD" in the days of the Old Testament the name "LORD" there is only that term that appears in the Old Testament.
      In the New Testament of the Bible He is called "Our Father God."
      So, there are terms in the Bible such as "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of the LORD."

      How different are they and when are they used?
      To help you understand better, I'll illustrate it for you.
      Say, there is a son who resembles his father so exactly he appears the same. Then, people's reaction may fall into two categories.
      Some may say, "He looks so much like his father he is like a duplicate of him."
      They emphasize his facial features, in other words, his outward appearance.
      On the other hand, others may say, "His father was a gentle man, and he is also gentle just like his father," or "His father had fiery hot temper, and he is just like his father."
      They don't focus on his appearance, but on his character or personality.
      It is the same with the names of God.
      Sometimes, there are names that focus primarily on the image of God.
      Some other times, there are names that emphasize the heart spirit and being of God.
      Here, the Spirit has the meaning of the attributes of God such as truth, goodness, and love.
      It is the term that is opposite to the "flesh" that represents all the untruths.
      It doesn't refer to "the Spirit" as a being that is immortal.
      Angels and Satan and the devil are all "spiritual beings", which means they are the beings that belong to the spiritual realm.
      However, "the Spirit" from the term "the Spirit of God" or the Spirit of LORD" doesn't refer to "the Spirit" as a being.
      It rather refers to the attributes that are contained in the heart of God; they are truth, goodness, love, etc.
      It has the same meaning when we say "a man of spirit," "the worker of spirit," or "a gathering of spirit."
      We use such terms not because the man or the worker is a spiritual being like an angel, but because he is the one who has the attributes of God such as truth, goodness, and love.
      So, there are cases when the names of God focus mainly on the contents, and when they emphasize on the form that holds the contents.
      By the way, if a name refers to God whose heart is at work, does it mean that God appeared with no form at all?
      No, it doesn't mean that.
      Even when God the Trinity works in Their divided entity, they have a certain form.
      However, from the perspective of the one who receives the work, if he focuses more on the outward form of the divided entity, rather than the heart, we can say "the Spirit of God" is used to emphasizing on the heart of God.
      The other works the same.
      When a name to focus on the outward form of God is used, it doesn't mean that there is no heart at work.
      It is just that from the viewpoint of the person who receives the work focus mainly on the outward form of the divided entity.
      They are all God the Trinity, However, depending on which one the viewer is emphasizing on, the names used are different.
      BY the way, the names that refer to the heart of God don't appear in the Old Testaments.
      The people of the Old Testaments didn't feel the heart of God well.
      And so, as they received the work of God, they described it while focusing on the form of God.
      On the other hand, the people of the New Testament can feel the heart of God.
      It is because, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, it is possible for us to communicate with God in spirit.
      Therefore, in the New Testament, the names that focus on the heart of God appear, but not the names that refer to the form of God.
      You may apply the same principle to the names that refer to the Lord and the Holy Spirit as well.
      Now, let's conclude it. "God" refers to God the Trinity in general, but "the LORD, "the Lord," and "the Holy Spirit" refers to each entity of God the Trinity.
      And in the days of the Old Testament, there are names that are used to refer to God focusing on the outward form of God.
      And there are names in the days of the New Testament, emphasizing the heart.
      What about "the Spirit of the LORD"?
      I explained earlier that the term "Jehovah", "the LORD" only appears in the Old Testament.
      Therefore, the name, "the Spirit of the LORD" (in all caps) appears only in the Old Testament to focus on the outward form of God.
      However, there are some expressions in the Bible that this principle doesn't apply.
      And there is a reason for that, but I'll come back to this in the future case by case.

      [Amen]




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