PRESENTER'S NOTES

As a person who has experienced extensive training in the horticultural sciences, and as a person who worked for a number of years in vegetable and fruit breeding research, I can tell you that I know a lot about sex between plants. Yes, you heard me correctly! I know a great deal about sex between plants. And, in addition to that, I know a whole lot about how their babies are formed, and these forming “babies” are called “seeds”.

On this Feast of Pentecost, I would like us to review the differences between animals, mankind, and God. From this review, we will better be able to see how God and man interact, especially in relation to our salvation. We will see how God provides to us power and creativity for the purpose of reaching full pre-birth maturity; like a seed. To illustrate this development, I will end by providing to you a metaphor from the plant kingdom.

So, first, let me begin with a question, “What is the spirit in man?” Is it not all of the common qualities that man shares? Is it not all of the common qualities we share that are not shared by the animals? Sure, we can look at our own form and see that we are different, though an ape may simply view us as a weaker, almost hairless version of himself. But spirit is not a definition of that which is visible. It’s a definition of our nature, which includes our thoughts and behaviors.

Does a dog have the spirit of man or that of a dog? A dog can learn to obey a man’s commands, but can it learn to have a conversation with him? Can a dog develop an interest in art and then be inspired to build a gallery to protect and view those works of art? If you offer to the dog to buy his bone, will he understand? And, if he could understand, would he know how to place a value on that bone? If he could, could he calculate the change he would have to return when all you had was a $10?

At first, we might consider what a dog could be thinking when we do things the dog does not understand. Does anything we do look to a dog miraculous, or, otherwise, impossible? I don’t actually know, because the dog cannot tell me exactly what he is thinking. Additionally, I cannot give to my dog some portion of my spirit to help him to better understand me. There is a divide which neither my dog nor I can cross toward each other.

There also is a great divide between man and God, but there is a very special gift given to the spirit of mankind and this gift is first indicated in Genesis.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

So, God made man to appear like God, but that is a physical attribute in man. What He goes on to indicate, though, is another similarity to God related to power and dominion, in this case, dominion over all other living creatures on earth.

But, it is more than that, for if we read further in Romans we will find more…

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! Father!
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

We find that our own spirit is capable of communicating with God beyond our spirit’s natural ability alone. But, even this capability is governed by God’s invitation. In other words, this capability is never accessed unless God first calls us to have a godly relationship with Him.

John 6:43 Jesus answered them, Do not grumble among yourselves.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Israel was introduced to God as the Lord. They even heard His voice and received commandments written with His own finger. They entered a relationship with God by covenant, but that relationship did not involve receiving God’s Spirit. That relationship might be likened to that of a dog and his master in that the relationship does not last forever, nor does it ever reach a level of mutual understanding. The nature is not the same; the ways are not the same. True understanding is never achieved by way of an inferior spirit.

We can see this featured by Elihu in the book of Job…

Job 32:7 I said, Let days speak,
and many years teach wisdom.
8 But it is the spirit in man,
the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
9 It is not the old who are wise,
nor the aged who understand what is right.

So, the most special gift given to our human spirit is not our god-like qualities of creativity and control, but that it is designed to be able to receive the benefits of communication (commune) with God and use of His spirit; God’s Holy Spirit, to do so.

And, if God calls us to follow Christ, and we respond, God imparts that Spirit to us. This makes us begotten members of the family of God by that Spirit. Peter clearly states this! (Go to 1 Peter 1)

1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
24 for
All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.

We can return to Romans 8 also for inference of that begettal by reading of the analogy of physical creation in labor pains.

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

For creation to be at a point in history that is likened to labor pains requires that a baby has been in the process of being formed, and the baby being formed must have first been conceived.

Up to now I’ve tried to establish a perception of what “spirit” is, and I have attempted to do so by comparing between the intellect, awareness, and actions of the animal kingdom, mankind, and God. And, in distinguishing these spirits, we have compared creativity and power.

If a dog gets a deep gash in his leg, the best he can do is lick his wounds. A man gets the same, he can learn to discover and apply antibiotics. He can also learn to sew up the wound and protect it from exposure. But, God, who cannot be wounded, which is the nature of His Spirit, can instantly heal the wound on the dog and the man. This simple example reveals the obvious differences in creativity and power among the various natures, or spirits.

So, why would God build into us a spirit inferior to His, yet capable, by invitation, of receiving and utilizing the benefits of God’s creative power?

We can go again to Romans 8 to find out…

Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

God is God, and there is no other like Him.

Isaiah 46:8 “Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
9 remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,

God has always been and always will be eternal. God is perfect. The Father and Son share the same creative Spirit with power, and they have never broken the laws of life.

For whatever reason, however, there is no gender in the family of God, at least as we know gender. There is no marrying or giving in marriage. We can learn this from Jesus Christ in Matthew…

Matthew 22:29 But Jesus answered them, You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Nevertheless, God is a family, and it was God’s intention from the beginning to enlarge the family of God. Part of being in that family is a quality I would like to call “willful perfection”. In truth God CANNOT sin.

We can discover this fact where Paul shows how God CANNOT lie. And, of course, lying is a foundational sin.

Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,
2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began

KJV --> In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; <-- KJV

3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

Again, in Hebrews…

Hebrews 6:17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,
18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

As God is eternally pure, we might see how the use of the word, “unwilling” and the word, “cannot”, these terms become one in the same in meaning for a Spirit that never has and never will transgress the law of life. We, humans, on the other hand, subject to sin can sin, but must live a life willing not to sin.

A key quality of being in the God family, then, is being without sin willfully AND without the ability to sin. If God had created us who have a beginning without the ability to choose to sin, we would be less members of His family and more a fabrication of perfection. As opposed to being eternally without sin, we would have been constructed not to sin.

So, referencing again, Romans 8:20, we find that God created the physical universe, able to be destroyed, in the hope that mankind would CHOOSE to want to be without sin against the laws of life. This way, for those who chose against life, their existence could end without suffering for eternity.

What is amazing is this interaction we enter into with God our Father and Jesus Christ via God’s Holy Spirit. For, though, our natural spirit is destined alone to futility, with God’s Spirit in us, we can WILL to obey with growing understanding while relying on God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ when we repent from stumbling; falling short.

It is ONLY by God’s Spirit we will both think and act in a godly fashion in the deepest sense of thinking and acting; all expressions of the heart of God.

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

What I want to feature today is the creativity you have been given by God. As humans, we naturally are attracted to the power we do not understand like a dog might be attracted to us. There is nothing wrong with this, but we naturally are drawn to things we would not otherwise understand. Things like miraculous healing and speaking in tongues come to mind. In some regard this is due to the benefit that extra power provides or the amazement it creates in our imagination. And we have biblical example of God giving these abilities to the saints. Of course, these abilities were provided at a time and place when they served an appropriate witness.

Today, I don’t want to focus on power, but on creativity of the Spirit. Because no matter whether or not you ever experience abilities that can only be attributed to the power of God’s Spirit; abilities like tongues, healings, casting out demons, or even prophetic visions, each and every one of us as saints have been given the Spirit of God to reside in us to will and to work (in other words, “to create”) according to God’s good pleasure (already read Phil 2:13).

God has given you and me the ability, and only with that Spirit, to think and act like God. In general, this could be described as God’s love, which is only creative by nature. God can and will destroy, but He is not the Destroyer. He will only destroy, or bring to nothing, that which does not promote life. Destruction of anything by God is only related to eradicating that which was subject to futility in hope.

So, what does the Spirit of God create? Remember, I’m not talking about visible, perceivable power as with tongues, healings, casting out demons and prophecies. What the Spirit creates is likened, instead, to fruit. And the definition of that fruit can be found in Galatians…

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

So, to finish out the message and build upon the creative power of bearing fruit, I want to share a short horticultural analogy or metaphor. You will notice that the desired fruit in Galatians is “of – the – Spirit”. And it might be good for us to understand a detail that the “fruit” spoken of is ripened fruit.

I want you to go home today feeling peachy, even peachy keen, so I’m going to use the humble peach as an example in explaining how God works, how we work, and who does what.

A peach is known as a stone fruit because each fruit contains one seed inside which is surrounded by a very hard structure called the endocarp. Technically, the endocarp in not the seed, but it houses the seed, which looks exactly like an almond.

You should have received a handout already, but, if not please raise your hand and an usher will give one to you. [HANDOUT]

Pollination – Father draws… John 6:44
Fertilization – Repentance, baptism, HS… Acts 2:38
Seed Development – Grace & knowledge… 2 Peter 3:18
Fruit Development – Works…

Luke 3:8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

Romans 7:4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Seed Dormant – God’s completed work in you…

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Fruit Matures – Product of your works, pleasing to God because you relied on Him…

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The seed has matured in the peach and so has the fruit around it, coming to maturity only after the seed has matured. But the seed must go through yet one more change…

Refer John chapter 12…

John 12:23 And Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

God in His word provides a number of metaphors or analogies to explain his plan for man and our relationship with Him. Hopefully, my use of the humble peach provides an additional learning device for the sake of understanding. All of God’s metaphors share with each other key similarities to show how God works, how we work, and who does what.

Today, we reviewed some differences between animals, mankind, and God. We discovered the special gift God can provide us so that we can go beyond the relationship of a pet and his master. We, for the sake of today’s study distinguished between power and creativity. We went over why we could not be made perfect by fiat, but, instead, must be offered a special gift, accept it and bear fruit from it. That gift is God’s Spirit; the Spirit of life. Let us all continue to grow in God’s favor and in the knowledge of God’s way. Let us utilize that special gift to bear the fruits of the Spirit helping one another on to our final destination – becoming a peach tree – I mean, becoming born members of the family of God.