Holy Spirit: Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
Intro:
Welcome back to Chi Alpha! I am excited to be back in the groove of the semester with you. I’m not sure about you, but I have been ready to be back in the normal groove for a while. We have missed you all, and look forward to spending this next semester with you.
Tonight we are going to start part 1 of a 3 part series on the Holy Spirit. I grew up in a Pentecostal church here in Muncie, so I heard regularly about the Holy Spirit, and if you have a background like mine that may be true of you as well. But I know many of us here in the room did not grow up in a Pentecostal or charismatic background. Many of us here may have not heard much about the Holy Spirit at all growing up, or if we did it may not have been very clear or not focused on that much.
However, if we are going to follow Jesus as His disciples, His apprentices, and if we are to know and understand the Gospel, and experience the power of this Gospel, the Holy Spirit is One that we need to become very well acquainted with.
The Holy Spirit is a central character all the way through the Scriptures and plays a vital role in our faith, as well as in the story of God. In fact there are at least 250 passages in the New Testament that reference the Holy Spirit or some kind of name referring to the Holy Spirit, and from what I can tell at least 60-70 times in the Old Testament . So in order to even take the Scriptures with any kind of seriousness, we must seek to understand and experience the Holy Spirit.
Now I know that there are several who may hear Pentecostal and Holy Spirit and immediately want to dismiss it and put up some walls because of some abuses or bad teachings or experiences that you have may heard about or experienced. But over the next three weeks I want to challenge you and invite you to lay aside your skepticism and fear, and simply ask God to allow you to learn and experience more of the Holy Spirit than you currently are now. I want to challenge you to take a fresh look at the Scriptures we will be exploring the next three weeks, and ask God to remove any preconceived notions or biases that you may have.
The Holy Spirit is the source of a Christians life and power to live as a faithful follower of Jesus in this dark world. In my experience, the level of intimacy and relationship with God is directly tied to our openness to the power of the Holy Spirit in our life. So over the next three weeks we will be looking at Who the Holy Spirit is, What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the power that the Holy Spirit offers us as we follow Jesus.
Tonight we will mainly focus on Who is the Holy Spirit.
Let’s Pray
Who the Holy Spirit is and Who the Spirit is Not
Who the Holy Spirit is and Who the Spirit is Not
1. The Holy Spirit is God (Trinity)
The first thing we need to grapple with when we are understanding the Holy Spirit is the He is the third member of the Trinity. The Trinity is one of the most difficult concepts to understand, and people all throughout church history have debated how best to understand this phenomena we see in Scripture.
Now, I could spend a very long time explaining and describing the Trinity and how we got this concept, etc. But I am going to give you a very brief summary, and if you have questions I’d love to chat further about it.
Here we go: We have many Scriptures throughout the Bible speaking to the reality that there is one true God.
Deuteronomy 6:4 tells us that "the Lord is one." 1 Corinthians 8:4 adds that "there is no God but one." 1 Timothy 2:5 explicitly says "there is one God." All Christians heartily affirm this truth.
Yet, at the same time there are other passages such as the creation account that show the Spirit and God, we learn later in Scripture Jesus was also there, actively involved in creation.
We also see several passages where the Spirit is revered as a manner than is reserved for God, and the same for Jesus. I won’t put all those up here tonight, but if you’d like to know them talk to me later.
We also see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at work together at the same time in Scripture. Look at Matthew 3:
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
I could spend much longer on the Trinity, bu that is not what I want to spend time on tonight. So big takeaways from this:
the Holy Spirit is God; coequal with God the Father and God the Son
He is not God jr.
One God; Three Persons (paradox; embrace mystery in the faith)
2. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not an “It”
The Holy Spirit is not an “it”. Scripture reveals the Spirit as a Person. The Holy Spirit is not synonomous for the “universe”. You hear that all the time in TV shows and movies nowadays. They will say the “universe” has it out for them, or the “universe” owes them one. That is not the Holy Spirit.
Many, many people have a concept of the Holy Spirit that is like the concept of the force in Star Wars. In Star Wars, the force is a non-personal, etherial power that exists in the world that apparently connects all living things and special people (Jedi) have access to this powerful force.
It may be humorous, but this really is how many often look at the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is seen as mysterious, and unattainable by most except for those few prophets or super spiritual people.
However, that is not the picture that Scripture gives us. Let’s look at a few passages that shed some more light on who the Spirit is:
In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
The Holy Spirit is Someone who can be grieved. He can be offended. If the Spirit was not a Person, this would not be true. A non-personal etherial force or power does not have feelings or have desires.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
You can’t lie to an impersonal force. You can only lie to someone who is real.
“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
Apparently you can resist the Holy Spirit! You can’t resist or disobey an impersonal force. Or quench or snuff out. You can only resist an actual person.
I show all these Scriptures in order to make the point that the Holy Spirit is someone we can interact with, have relationship with, and He is part of God.
Something that I have heard before and often is ‘why do we need to focus or draw attention to the Holy Spirit.? If I just believe that He is there or real, isn’t that enough?’
I think this is a wrong posture to view the Holy Spirit in; this reduces the Holy Spirit down to just a doctrine or belief. This is far too low of a view of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not a doctrine to believe, but a Person to have relationship with
Just to yourself, picture your very best friend. The person you are closet to in all the world. Okay, you got that person in your mind? Now imagine that you never talked to that person, or spent anytime with that person, or sought to understand anything about them.
Isn’t that absurd? The very reason they are our friend is because we intentionally spent time and effort to know them and allow them to know us.
That is what I mean by the Spirit is not a doctrine to believe in; He is a person to have a relationship with.
What does the mean for us?
What does the mean for us?
The Holy Spirit is our Advocate, Comforter, and Teacher
Although there are several more passages we could look at and study about the identity of the Holy Spirit, I’d like us to look at how Jesus Himself describes the Holy Spirit in the book of John.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
So Jesus said that God will sent another advocate to help us. Jesus recognizes that He Himself is about to return to God the Father. Jesus recognized that if His followers were going to live for Him and make it in this world, then they would need help. He knew that they could not do this one their own.
Many of us feel similar. Maybe we have wanted to live for God or live a life for God, but we have found that our motivation, or power, or followthrough simply isn’t enough.
The Greek word used here for advocate is paraklete. This word carries a very large definition. Advocate is a good translation, but depending on your tranlation paraklete may be translated as Advocate, Comforter, Helper. These are all legitmiate ways to translate this word because the word paraklete is a word that is so full of meaning. One word doesn’t do it justice. Paraklete is almost like a swiss army knife. There isn’t just one use or function of a swiss army knife; it is versatile, useful, and equipped to be used in a variety of ways.
In a similar fashion, the Holy Spirit has many different ways that He functions and helps us in our lives. As we look at what Jesus is telling us here we see three main ways that the Holy Spirit comes alongside us and helps us.
He is our Teacher:
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Jesus tells us that this the Holy Spirit will be our teacher. The Holy Spirit will teach us the things of God, He will bring the Scriptures to life before our eyes, He reminds us of the Words of Jesus.
300 Quotations for Preachers Prayer Is the Key to Understanding Scripture
There is no college for holy education like that of the blessed Spirit, for he is an ever-present tutor, to whom we have only to bend the knee, and he is at our side, the great expositor of truth.
I don’t know about you, but there are often times that I am reading the Scriptures or I am thinking about faith, or listening to a sermon and it just isn’t clicking. I just don’t get it. I don’t understand what it means or why it is important. But the amazing truth about the Holy Spirit is that He will actually teach us. He will show us what the Scriptures mean. He will illuminate our eyes to see the purpose and significance of the Gospel.
Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth. All truth proceeds from God and the Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of God. We can trust what the Spirit says. As Christians we believe that the Scriptures are God breathed and inspired by the Holy Spirit.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
He is the author of the very Scriptures. If we want to know the truth of Scripture, we have to have a real relationship with the author of the Word of God.
He points us to Jesus:
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
Not only does the Holy Spirit teach us, but He specifically teaches the way and truth of Jesus. He glories Jesus. He puts a spotlight and puts Jesus centerstage in our life.
A good way then to test if the Spirit is speaking to you is whether or not you are being pointed to Jesus or are being pointed to follow the example of Jesus. Is what you are thinking or listening to leading you to be like Jesus, or to worship Jesus, or to follow Him. If not, that is not the Spirit of God. Why? Because the Spirit leads us to truth, and the truth is found in the person of Jesus Christ.
In that way, the Holy Spirit is like a compass. A good compass that is working and functioning correct points north. Once you orient yourself to north, you can then begin to get a sense of where you are.
The Holy Spirit will always point you to Jesus. Every time. If you are following Jesus and you are being formed into His Character, it is because the Holy Spirit is pointing you there.
He is God’s Empowering Presence:
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The Holy Spirit is the empowering presence of God in our life. Jesus was concerned for the well being of His followers. He did not want them to be alone; nor did he intend for them to live alone in this world. He made sure that we were not orphans in this world. He said he would send the Holy Spirit - God’s empowering presence - to be with us.
From the very beginning, all the way back in Genesis 1 and 2 we see a God who wants to be with His people. That has been God’s plan from day one. The Gospel launched God’s glorious plan to redeem mankind through Jesus, and the Holy Spirit now makes it possible for God to dwell with all of us on a continual basis.
The peace of Jesus is realized in our life through the Holy Spirit, we experience joy, hope, comfort, courage all through the Holy Spirit, God’s empowering presence.
I grew up in the country and we lived in a woods. We had a long gravel driveway that lead down to our barn. Sometimes at night I had to go down there to get something, or switch off a light that had been left on. Or feed our horse or something.
Well, at night that was a bit of a scary trip. Especially during early middle school years. I was still young enough to have the classic fear of the dark that kids have, and just old enough to be aware of things like Texas Chainsaw massacre. Needless to say, I did not like making that trip alone. So often I’d ask my brother or dad, or sisters to come with me. It was amazing what the presence of another did to subside the fear that came in that dark walk.
I think often our life can feel like that dark path to the barn. We can’t see where we are going, we don’t know what lies a head of us, and we become aware of our need for God. The Holy Spirit is that person who we can walk with through our dark world. He will be with us, walking alongside us, teaching us, encouraging us, and leading us towards Jesus.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Invite worship team back up:
So with all that said, I feel that the correct response to our message tonight simply is to seek communion with God through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is symbolized often by water all throughout Scripture. When we are thirsty, we drink water.
300 Quotations for Preachers Prayer Is the Key to Understanding Scripture
There is no college for holy education like that of the blessed Spirit, for he is an ever-present tutor, to whom we have only to bend the knee, and he is at our side, the great expositor of truth.
“I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this by my own power.” ― Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
Tonight I want to invite us to drink deeply from the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you are here tonight, and you are just wanting more of God. You are tired of going through motions. You feel like you are thirsty for more of God, and just feel there has to be more. I want to invite you to ask the Holy Spirit to come alongside you to help you know God in a more full way.
Perhaps you aren’t sure about how you stand with God, and this Holy Spirit stuff sounds crazy. I want to invite you to ask God to reveal His truth to you. I believe that anyone who is seeking out truth, God will meet.
But regardless of where you are tonight and no matter how long you have been following Jesus, I believe that God has more for us to experience through His Spirit, through His empowering presence. So let’s ask God to pour out His Spirit, and bring us into a greater relationship with the Holy Spirit.