The Holy Spirit

Introduction

How cool would it have been to be a disciple, and get to speak with Jesus face to face during his earthly ministry? Can you imagine what it would have been like to do ministry with Jesus?!

But imagine this. One day Jesus tells his disciples that after he leaves, they will do more than when they were with him! Hard to believe?

Read John 14:12. (Emphasize the phrase “greater works than these”). How is this possible? Read John 14:16-18.

Jesus promised when he left that the work of his kingdom would increase, not decrease. How? The answer is found in this most practical of theologies, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Since we established who the Spirit is in the lesson on the Trinity, this morning we will talk about what the Holy Spirit does.

I. The Spirit’s Work in the World

Turn to John 16 (Read verses 8-11).

Though the word reprove (convict) has a negative connotation, the Spirit’s work in the world is a very positive ministry.

No one can be saved without the Spirit’s convicting work. When we consider what the Bible teaches about the nature of man, we see why it is so important that the Spirit “reproves the world.”

·      Turn to Romans 3 (Read verses 10-18).

The Holy Spirit works by convicting men, so that they may see the truth and can then choose to believe on Christ. He does this by convicting them of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Go back to John 16 and notice verse 9: “Of sin, because they believe not on me;” The Spirit shows the unbeliever both the reality and the seriousness of sin.

Verse 10: “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;” Not only does the Holy Spirit convict unbelievers of their sin, but also of the necessity of righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Verse 11: “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” The Spirit convicts people of the judgment to come. If the leader of all sinners (Satan) has been judged, that makes his followers judgment inescapable.

The Holy Spirit works in the world. He shows us our sin, our need for righteousness provided by Christ, and the certainty of judgment if we reject Christ. Without this work of the Holy Spirit, no man would ever believe the gospel.

The Spirit’s Work in the Believer

A. Regenerating

The Holy Spirit regenerates. Jesus said being born again was the only way a person could enter God’s kingdom: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Regeneration is the transformation of a person, brought about by the Spirit, that changes the individual from spiritual death to spiritual life.

B. Indwelling

The Holy Spirit indwells the believer. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came on believers for special ministries, and times of service. But Jesus promised the apostles that after His ascension, believers would all receive a permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit:

Earlier we read from John 14, where Jesus promised he would send the Spirit to abide with us forever.

Indwelling involves all believers. Paul told the Romans, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:9)

When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in his life. Life in Jesus is different because the Spirit of God lives within.

C. Sealing

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a guarantee of our inheritance reserved for us. God has promised us eternity with Him in His Word, which should be enough. But He is gracious, by giving a guarantee of that promise:

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

D. Teaching

The Holy Spirit teaches the believer.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” - 1 Cor. 2:12-13

This teaching work of the Spirit is also known as illumination.

The Spirit also ministers as teacher for the Christian, not so much to reveal new revelation from God, but to help the believer comprehend and put in action the revelation already given.

E. Filling

The believer is to be filled with the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is to live in submission to the Spirit. What does this mean, and how does it work? Turn to Ephesians 5 (Read verses 18-22, 25, and 6:1-9)

The manifestation of being filled with the Spirit is not found in how we feel, but how we live. Christians filled with the spirit sing praises to God (5:19), are thankful to God (5:20), and have good family relationships (5:21-6:4).

Consider the parallel passage, Colossians 3. Turn there (Read 3:16-4:1). Paul says that if we let the Word of Christ dwell in us, we will sing praises to God, be thankful to God, have correct family relationships, and good work relationships. It’s the very same list we just read in Ephesians 5.

Being filled with the Spirit and being filled with the Word speak of the same thing: they are two different angles from which to view the spiritual life. You cannot live in submission to the Holy Spirit without living in submission to the Word, and vice-versa.

The spiritual life is called being filled with the Word, because we obey the Word of God. It is called being filled with the Spirit because we depend on the Spirit to help us obey the Word.

F. Gifting

What is a spiritual gift? We can define them in this way: it is an ability given or heightened by the Holy Spirit, for a believer, used to build up others.

Spiritual Gifts Are for Every Believer

Scripture teaches that spiritual gifts are for all believers. Turn to 1 Corinthians 12. Let’s notice Verses 4-7:

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

In the same way that the fruit of the Spirit is for all Christians (Galatians 5) the gifts of the Spirit are for all Christians. The fruit is the Spirit’s transformation of our behavior, while the gifts refer to the Spirit’s Spiritual Gifts Are for Building Up

Something else we need to consider as we think about spiritual gifts is their purpose. Ephesians 4 will help us in this area.  Turn there (Read Ephesians 4:7-16).

Ephesians 4 specifically refers to the leadership gifts like preaching, pastoring, teaching, and evangelism. Though these are not the only spiritual gifts (i.e. Romans 12) they are certainly the most prominent ones. Even these, Scripture says, are not for the individuals who have them, but for the churches in which they serve!

The point is that the Holy Spirit does not gift believers for ministry to help or glorify themselves. Spiritual gifts are not ultimately to help us become rich and famous. They are for others.

Conclusion

How do we respond practically to the Holy Spirit in our lives?

Open yourself to the Spirit’s teaching.

When you go to church, attend a Bible study with friends, listen to a Bible teaching podcast, or read the Bible on your own, PRAY and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures to you. Then pray and ask him to help you obey what you learn.

Do not grieve the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit does not prevent us from sinning: we can still choose to follow our flesh and ignore his voice. But he provides conviction. Christian remember that God himself is WITH you in the Spirit’s presence. Whenever you give into temptation, you drag the Spirit with you into the filth of sin. He is there for you! Don’t drag him into sin with you.

Let the Spirit define how you evaluate your spiritual health.

The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5) offer definitive examples of the results of the Holy Spirit’s presence. These are not goals to work on: Paul does not list these to encourage you to simply try to be more loving. Rather these are the outcome of the Holy Spirit having free reign in someone’s life. How are you doing spiritually?

When you suffer, remember the Spirit’s indwelling.

Christians suffer, but we never suffer alone. The Holy Spirit is always with us. Whatever you are going through, the Spirit is there to remind you of God’s promises, to speak into your life through others, to help bring Scripture to mind, to help you continue to believe in God’s goodness. God will never let you go through anything on your own if you are saved.

Be bold in your evangelism.

Share the gospel, because you NEVER share the gospel by yourself! Martin Luther said he preached a sermon once, but the Spirit would preach it to the hearts of his hearers over and over again. Perfectionism is the death of sharing the gospel: you don’t have to be great at it, you just have to do the best you can and trust the Spirit to do his work.

Find and use your spiritual gifts.

What are my spiritual gifts? Probably whatever (1) I catch myself doing in the church or for others when I am in love with Jesus, and (2) Whatever I do in the church or for others that Christians tell me I should keep doing because I seem gifted at it. If you serve often, you will end up discovering, perhaps through others, how the Spirit has gifted you.