of the lands” (Neh. 9:30). Ample time and oppor tunity had been afforded them, but all to no effect. “The longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing” (I Peter 3:20), but that too was to no effect. Let the unbeliever beware. He who resists the Spirit’s working in his heart will one day discover to his utter dismay that there is no further conviction of sin within him. When a man persists in his rebel lion and rejection of Jesus Christ, then the Spirit might turn from him, and if the Spirit does not draw him to Christ, he can never be saved. In the Epistle to the Romans we read that “God gave them up” and “God gave them over” (Rom. 1:24, 26). But God did not give up man until first man gave up God. Stephen reviewed the history of Israel before the Jewish authorities and said, “Ye stiffnecked and un circumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye" (Acts 7:51). He reminded them that at every fresh revela tion from God, they had opposed Him. This is a dangerous action on the part of any person. A Prov erb says, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that with out remedy” (Prov. 29:1). Yes, the Holy Spirit can be resisted to the eternal loss of those who resist Him. He invites men to take the water of life (Rev. 22:17), but He will not force them to drink. To the seven churches in Asia Minor, Jesus says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev. 2 and 3). Let us return to our text for one final thought. When God said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man," it is possible that He was referring to the end of the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. When the present age of grace comes to its close and the true believers are translated to Heaven, the Holy Spirit too will leave the world. Presently He is the Restrainer Who holds back the floodtide of iniquity until the Wicked One, the antichrist, is revealed (II Thess. 2:7-10). When the Divine Restrainer is re moved, there will be no further striving against sin, and then the world will see the full revelation of the Man of Sin. The power of the Holy Spirit is greater than the power of Satan. Presently He is holding back the forces of evil, striving against them, but at the Rapture of the Church, the Spirit of God Who indwells the Church, will also be taken out of the world. This will mean a reversal of Pentecost. The very removal of both the Church and the Spirit from the earth, the dwelling place of man, will result in no further striv ing against sin. That day is imminent, thus it be hooves all men everywhere to stop resisting God and surrender to Him at once. g EDITOR'S NOTE: This discussion concerning the Holy Spirit is first in a series that will continue for several months. Dr. Lehman Strauss has authored numerous Bible study and devotional books. The most recent one concerns “THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL."
tion is the Spirit’s work. Those of us engaged in preaching the Gospel make the mistake at times of taking His ministry out of His hands. We go about our work as though the results depended upon us. Then if we do not see results, we fret and become impatient and sometimes are critical of others. But the lack of fruit is a challenge to examine our own hearts. The Holy Spirit dwells in every child of God (I Cor. 3:16; 6:19, 20); therefore, if our lives and labors do not produce results, it is because the Holy Spirit is being grieved (Eph. 4:30), or quenched (I Thess. 5:19) by us. On the Day of Pentecost there were added to the Church about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41), but never lose sight of the fact that It is written of that group of workers, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:4). When we quit our sinning and give the Holy Spirit His way in our hearts, then we can expect Him to use our efforts to convict the unsaved. A book might appeal to the mind of the reader, a preacher might be able to stir up the emotions of his hearers, but none save the Holy Spirit can strive with the spirit and conscience of man against his sins. There is no human explanation adequate to de scribe the work of the Holy Spirit upon the human conscience as He brings conviction to that soul and prepares him to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. But of one thing we Christians can be certain, that is, before the Holy Spirit was to convict the world of sin, He had to come first to indwell Christ’s own and instruct them. Examine the four appearances of the promise of the "Comforter” in the Gospel according to John, and you will see borne out the statement I have just made. Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16) “. . . teach you all things” (John 14:26) “. . . testify of Me” (John 15:26). And then He added finally, “He will reprove the world of sin” (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit has come to indwell us who have believed, that through us He might reach, others. He can accomplish this work only as we are in perfect communion with Him and in perfect harmony with His will for us. The word "reprove” in John 16:8 means conviction by demon stration, conviction by an unanswerable argument. There is no more convincing démonstration of the Spirit’s power than a Christian under His control. But the awful and solemn truth is that God does not perpetually keep on with this ministry. He said, "M y Spirit shall not always strive with man.” There comes a time when a man wearies God with his obstinate rejection so that God ceases to contend with him. A man is wise when he seeks the Lord “while He may be found” (Isa. 55:6). It is written of the Israelites, "Yet many years didst Thou for bear them, and testifiedst against them by Thy Spirit in Thy prophets: yet they would not give ear: there fore gavest Thou them into the hand of the people
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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