Topical - Holy Spirit - Holy Spirit, Who Is He? Part 1
I. The Personality of the Holy Spirit
There are many different things to learn about the Holy Spirit.
In this study we will learn about & ask questions like:
- What does the word comfortless mean in John 14:18?
- What is the promise given to us from Jesus in John 14:16-18?
- Who is the Holy Spirit?
· What are the different characteristics of the Holy Spirit?
· What are the personal treatments accorded to the Holy Spirit?
· How does the Holy Spirit act as a person?
· Why are these facts important to us?
· What should our goal be as we seek the Holy Spirit?
The disciples learned to trust in Jesus as the Master of every situation. When you had Him around you didn’t have to worry about something going wrong; you knew He would take care of everything.
· Is it time to pay taxes? No problem, the Master tells Jesus to “Go catch a fish and take the coin out of its mouth and pay the taxes.”
· Are you short on food? Not to worry. Here is a little boy with five loaves and two fish
· Maybe the Pharisees are trying to trip you up in some technical questions. Don’t sweat it, Jesus will handle them, just leave it to the Master.
· What if you’re out on a stormy sea in danger of sinking? Don’t worry, Jesus has the power to calm the storm & bring you safely into His desired haven.
It’s always great to have Jesus around!
That’s the lesson the disciples learned over and over for 3 wonderful years. They discovered that Jesus was an amazingly handy person to have around. They never had to worry when Jesus was present. They learned to relax and be confident because they knew the Lord was there to help.
A. Changes in the Wind – Read John 13:36-14:1-18
1. Jesus is making it clear that He is about to go to the cross to be crucified.
a) They don’t want Him to go away & their hearts fill with fear – John 14:1
(1) They were troubled and afraid, what will they do without Jesus?
(a) Jesus answers their unspoken question (John 14:16-18)
2. Explain the word “comfortless” in John 14:18.
a) orphanous, literally “orphans”
(1) What was the promise given to us in John 14:16-18?
(a) “I will not leave you orphans” (v.18)
(b) To keep that promise He would pray to the Father and ask Him to give the disciples another “helper” or “comforter”.
(a) Comforter in the Greek is translated parakletos.
· Para is the Greek preposition for “with” or “alongside of,” while kletos is the word for “called.”
· This helper will come alongside them to help them.
B. The Spirit Has Characteristics of Personhood
1. The Holy Spirit is a person.
a) He is a person whom you can enjoy a personal relationship with.
· He is not merely a impersonal force or power like “star wars”
· He is a person who can speak to you and to whom you can speak to.
· He is a person who can guide you, help you, strengthen you, & teach you the truth of God.
· He is the agent-representative whom God works through today in the world, the church and the believer.
b) He possesses the same essential qualities that Jesus does—divinity, and personality.
· “another” in John 14:16 means “of the same kind or equal quality”; “of the same order”.
· Jesus says, Just as I was with you and took care of every situation for you, so now the Holy Spirit will be with you & take care of every situation for you.
2. For a being to be considered a person, he or she must possess certain characteristics.
a) The Spirit has Intelligence—1 Corinthians 2:10-13
(1) Only a person with intelligence can “know” something.
(a) The apostle Paul writes of the Spirit’s knowledge of the “deep things of God”—inarguably a description of intelligence. And not only does He know these “deep things,” Paul says the Spirit also “teaches” us, helping us to compare “spiritual things with spiritual
· God “reveals” things to us by the Spirit.
· The Spirit “searches” all things, even “the deep things of God. The deep things of God that man does not know the Spirit does know.
· The Spirit of God “teaches’ us of the things that God freely gives us by helping us to compare one spiritual thing with another.
(b) Isaiah 11:2; John 14:26; Romans 8:27; Ephesians 1:17
b) The Spirit has Emotion—Ephesians 4:30 cf. Isaiah 63:10
(1) This would be impossible to say of a mere essence or a non-person.
(a) Both these passages talk about grieving the Holy Spirit.
It would be ridiculous to say, “Please do not grieve that plant.” You made that plant angry at you. The Holy Spirit is a person who loves you, & who can be grieved by you.
(b) This is the Positive side (Romans 15:30)
Only a person can love a person with emotions. The Holy Spirit loves you; in fact, He is passionate about you.
c) The Spirit has a Will—1 Corinthians 12:1-11
(1) The Gifts of the Spirit
(a) In talking about the gifts of the Spirit, Paul said that the Holy Spirit distributes “to each one individually as He wills” (v.11).
(b) It is the Holy Spirit who decides what kind of spiritual gift each believer should receive. This acts of choosing demands that He has a will.
(c) In Acts 15:28, the apostles prefaced their judgement on a question of church doctrine by saying, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us.” In so saying they ascribed to the Spirit the same kind of judgment-making ability which they themselves possessed. On some occasions, the Bible says the Spirit forbade His servants to visit certain areas, thus demonstrating His will (Acts 16:6-7)
C. Personal Pronouns
1. Personal pronouns are used to refer to the Holy Spirit.
a) Holy Spirit is a person
John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Ephesians 1:13
D. The Spirit is treated As a Person.
1. Many Person Treatments are accorded to the Holy Spirit.
a) What Examples do we have in these following passages?
(1) The Spirit can be lied to (Acts 5:3-4)
(2) The Spirit Can Be Blasphemed (Matt. 12:31–32; Mark 3:28–29)
(3) The Spirit Can Be Grieved (Isa. 63:10; Eph. 4:30)
(4) The Spirit Can Be Insulted (Heb. 10:29)
(5) The Spirit Can Be Obeyed (Acts 10:19–21)
(6) The Spirit Can Be Quenched (1 Thess. 5:19)
(7) The Spirit Can Be Resisted (Acts 6:9–10; Acts 7:51)
(8) The Spirit Can Be Tested (Acts 5:9[1])
E. The Spirit Does What Persons Do.
1. The Spirit acts as a person.
a) How Does the Holy Spirit act as a Person?
(1) The Spirit Commissions (Acts 11:12; Acts 13:2, 4; Acts 20:28)
(2) The Spirit Communicates (2 Cor. 3:3; Eph. 3:5)
(3) The Spirit Encourages (Acts 9:31)
(4) The Spirit Gives Gifts (1 Cor. 12:7–11)
(5) The Spirit Leads (Matt. 4:1; Acts 8:29; Acts 16:6–7; Rom. 8:14)
(6) The Spirit Speaks(Matt. 10:20; Acts 1:16; Acts 8:29; Acts 10:19; Acts 21:11; 1 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:11–12; Rev.2:7; Rev. 22:17)
(7) The Spirit Strengthens (Acts 9:31; Rom. 8:26; Eph. 3:16)
(8) The Spirit Teaches (Luke 12:12; John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:13; Heb. 9:8)
(9) The Spirit Testifies (John 15:26; Acts 5:32; Rom. 8:16; Heb. 10:15; 1 John 4:2; 1 John 5:6–8)
b) Why are these facts important to us?
Because the Holy Spirit is a Person, I can we can enjoy a relationship with Him graced with all of these loving, personal attentions!
c) Describe a personal experience of the Holy Spirit guidance in your life.
As we seek the Holy Spirit, our goal should never be to seek experiences, as wonderful as they can be, but to always want more of God, and for Him to have more of us.
That’s what the Spirit wants, as well. He wants a personal relationship with you that is warm, intimate, and growing. He wants to know you and be known by you.
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