NCC 37
New City Catechism • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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How does the Holy Spirit Help Us?
How does the Holy Spirit Help Us?
What did Josh teach last week?
Q35: What do we believe about the Holy Spirit?
A36: That He is God, coeternal with the Father and the Son, and that God grants Him irrevocably to all who believe.
The Holy Spirit is equal part of the trinity as the Father and the Son and that God gives Him to all of us who believe and nothing can hinder or take that away.
We are going to dig into what this looks like this morning.
First I have a little exercise I want to go through together.
Who are the different types of people in your life:
Parents, siblings, teachers, classmates, coaches, friends, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, coworkers, bosses, pastors, etc.
On your paper you will find 15 things you might do on a weekly basis. I want you to label which group these go in—there are three groups:
The Role of the Teacher
The Role of the Coach
The Role of the Parent
Let me preface by saying that put it in the category of what it should be not what it ends up being—I have had my feet in the water in all three of these groups and there are times that the teacher fills many of these roles or the coach does many of these.
When I was in athletics I had players that you not only trained but you helped them do their laundry, get food, how to behave, how to do certain homework assignments.
Teach children to read
Keep the family safe
Plan lessons
Develop how to dribble or hit a baseball
Doing the laundry
Teach children to obey
Organize school events
Give tips on how to score
Plan how your going to beat the other team
Comfort children when they have a bad dream
Give advice on what to eat before the big game
Teach children how to behave in class
Train players
Teach the team how to be good teammates
Cooking meals
Each of these people have specific roles that they play. And while I totally agree that the teacher, the coach and the parent often intersect with these other roles, ideally each of these authorities would focus on each of these tasks—they are experts at these tasks.
We should not expect the teacher to be required or even equipped to teach the children how to do their laundry.
We should not expect the parent to be required or even equipped to plan how to beat the other team.
We should not excpect the coach to be required or even equipped to teach children to read.
So—what helps you right now, more than anyone else in your life? Why?
(Aside from the Holy Spirit)
Q37: How does the Holy Spirit help us?
A37: The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, comforts us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts and the desire to obey God; and He enables us to pray and to understand God’s Word.
The trinity involves 3 parts—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Almost everybody has a pretty good understanding of God the Son, Jesus, and what He has done for us.
Many of us have a pretty good understanding—especially those well churched—with what God the Father has done.
I would argue very few of us have a good grasp on what God the Holy Spirit has done and is doing.
My hope is this morning is that you walk away with a framework of the three main areas the Spirit helps us.
Turn with me to Ephesians 6 and we are going to look at a passage you may be familiar with but I want to point out some things.
While your turning there, I am really excited, this text is the springboard for our entire Kid’s Camp this summer. We live in a world full of truth and lies—dual kingdoms that even our little ones are having to choose each and every day. But God has given us tools and even abilities to combat these things.
Can someone read Ephesians 6:10-11
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Paul is writing a letter to the church at Ephesus. He has encouraged them, admonished them, challenged them.
The letter includes:
A reminder of the spiritual blessings we have in Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Paul tells them because of all these things he has never stopped thinking about them and praying for them.
He reminds them when you look at this lost and think wow there so wicked—you too were once those people, lost, dead, following the prince of the power of the air
But by grace God saved you
Remember we are all one in Christ
He reminds them that this great mystery, the gospel, has been revealed to us.
3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
He continues calling them to have unity in the church
You are a new creation, you should not walk as the Gentiles do!
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Brothers and sisters walk in love
Wives and Husbands—love one another, wives submit to your husbands, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and was willing to lay his life down for her
Children obey your parents
Bondservants obey your masters
This is a great example of how chapters and verses do the text injustice at times. Because when you think of the letter written in its orginial form and all of that just boom, boom, boom—you get to chapter 6, verse 10 and it builds of of everything that has been said.
Finally—with all that in mind
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the full armor of God.
So that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.
What does that armor look like?
Someone read 6:12-20
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Because of time we wont highlight everything here, but let me point out a couple things.
What is God’s word described as in verse 17?
A sword
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Why do you think Paul calls it a sword?
It protects us from spiritual attacks from the devil. The truth of God’s word keeps us firm in what is the truth.
The devil is constantly bombarding us with lies, the whole world went down the toliet when satan convinced Adam & Eve that that is not really what God said—he lied to them and got them to believe this lie—God didn’t really say that.
Guess what—God really did say that and they believed the lie and sin came into the world.
I have always found it interesting that the word of God is described as a sword.
What makes a sword different than a spear, a bow & arrow, shield, sling shot, any of the other weapons in the bible?
A sword is very useful for defense and offense.
The skilled swordsmen can use that piece of metal—and at the end of the day thats what is is—a piece of metal that has been forged and shaped into a sharp, often two sided weapon—they can use that to not only deflect arrows, spears and other swords, they can take that same piece of metal and kill. The sharpest swords can cut your head off with ease.
The word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. You think your weapon and pierce through flesh—this weapon can cut their joints and marrow.
Not only can it defend you from the schemes of the devil, it can also cut through the heart as we go on the attack and spread the hope of this book.
The Holy Spirit uses this book, which was written by mortal men through the inspirtation and direction of the Holy Spirit
20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit uses this book to do many things but i want to focus on three quickly:
Convicts us of our sin
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
We don’t have time so I need to skip through---I wish we did this is a fasnicating passage—this Jesus, given to you according to God’s great plan, this Jesus, who proved he was God through works and wonders and signs for all of you, this Jesus, you curficied and killed. The perfect spotless one you dirty rotten, lawless sinner killed. But God rased him up, breakign the pangs of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
The Holy Spirit rushed in at Pentecost and convicted thousands of people of their sins and cut to their heart.
The Holy Spirit dwells within us and when we stray from the path, when the devil convinces us this or that is better, the Spirit works inside us using the bible, the church and fellow believers to correct us and put us back on the path—convicting us and calling us to repentance
2. Enables us to pray
One of the top questions you get from children as they get older is how do we pray? They begin to grasp these ideas of who God is and what He has done and what sin is and the effects of sin and they are left wondering---well if God is up there and we are down here---how do we pray?
There are two quick answers—first God tells us how to pray. You can read on your own time Matthew 6 verses 5-15
Don’t do it out in public to be seen by everyone, don’t just babble with a bunch of words to try and win over God.
The Lord’s prayer is pretty simple
God you are great—your are ruling and reigning—give me what I need for today, forgive me for my sins, help me to forgive others, protect me from the schemes of the devil, protect me.
So he has shown us how to pray.
But the Spirit also enables us to pray. The reality is until we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit we cannot converse with God. Our hearts have been opened and we can now talk to God the Father through God the Spirit.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Our flesh doesn’t know what to say or what to do, but the Holy Spirit steps in so much so that it gives us groanings too deep for words, such powerful communication we can’t even describe it.
3. Helps us Understand God’s Word
I already talked about how the Holy Spirit divinely inspired this book. But the Holy Spirit didn’t just leave us this book and hope we can figure it out. He helps us understand these things.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
The Spirit lives inside us and helps us understand God’s word so that we know how to live according to it. The bible clearly tells us that by reading it, studying it, memorizing it, hearing it—we will now how to live.
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
There are other things the Spirit does that we didn’t have time for
The spirit comforts us:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
The Spirit gives us spirtiual gifts as I mentioned in Ephesians
The Spirit gives us life
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
The Spirit gives us the desire to obey God
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
The Holy Spirit is often forgotten or misunderstood, but in our salvation sanctification the Holy Spirit is just as vital as the Father & the Son.
New week we are going to jump into what is Prayer
Let’s pray