Topical - Holy Spirit
The Personality of the Holy Spirit
March 22, 1998
Introduction:
Leonard Ravenhill, the revival minded preacher and author from Britain, told Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and the author of “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire,” that the church of today is expanding at a tremendous rate. In fact, he said, that it’s ten miles wide now --- and about a quarter inch deep. According to Cymbala, he was speaking about the woeful lack of Holy Spirit power. To quote his book, he said, “Isn’t it remarkable that only two of the seven churches of Revelation (Pergamum and Thyatira) were scolded for false doctrine? Far more common was a lack of spiritual vitality, of fervency, of closeness to the Lord. These are what the glorified Christ wanted to talk about most.”
All we need do is look around us to see the truth of the matter in how many churches, in the inner city and in the country, have fallen victim to ‘lampstand removal’ for this lack of vitality, fervency, and closeness to the Lord. According to reports, this is in epidemic proportions in Britain and the rest of Europe. Here in this country it seems to be easier to plant new churches than it is to revitalize the old ones. Except for hard hearted churches, does this make any sense, spiritually or economically?
Cymbala offers this advice for our shallow churches, “To go into the power of the gospel, or of prayer, or the Holy Spirit, or divine love is to plunge ever deeper and deeper into God’s well. Every man or woman used by God has gone down into this vast reservoir.” He goes on the say that, “The work of God can only be carried on by the power of God. The church is a spiritual organism fighting spiritual battles. Only spiritual power can make it function as God ordained.”
He also says we ere when we look at success in terms of the “ABC’S” or attendance, buildings and cash. “The Bible does not say we should aim at numbers but rather urges us faithfully to proclaim God’s message in the boldness of the Holy Spirit. This will build God’s church God’s way. --- God nowhere asks anyone to have a large church. He only calls us to do his work, proclaiming his Word to people he loves under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit to produce results that only he can bring about.”
Cymbala urges us to leave room for the Holy Spirit. He says, “These days we are so programmed that God couldn’t break in if he wanted to. --- A basic sign of revival is that the wind is allowed to blow where it will. --- All he wants are people simple enough to trust him. According to 1 Co. 14, if meetings are governed by the Holy Spirit, the result for the visitor will be that ‘the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. --- When a visitor comes in, there should be such a mixture of God’s truth and God’s presence that the person’s heart is x-rayed, the futility of his life is exposed, and he crumbles in repentance. --- What we really lack is the passion to call upon the Lord until he opens the heavens and shows himself powerful. --- The teaching of sound doctrine is a prelude, if you will, to the supernatural. It is also a guide, a set of boundaries to keep emotion and exuberance within proper channels. But as Paul said, ‘The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life’ (2 Co. 3:6). If the Holy Spirit is not given an opening among us, if his work is not welcomed, if we are afraid of what he might do, we leave ourselves with nothing but death. --- The old saying is true: If you have only the Word, you dry up. If you have only the Spirit, you blow up. But if you have both, you grow up.”
The result of Cymbala’s message to the church is that, “God will manifest himself in direct proportion to our passion for him. --- The Bible teaches that we are always either drawing nearer to God or falling away. There is no holding pattern. We must understand that God’s work in the world is usually a joint project; he works with us as we yield ourselves to work with him.”
With this challenge before us, today’s message is intended to lead us into a greater understanding, closeness, and yieldedness to the Holy Spirit. What do we really understand about the Holy Spirit? We hear alot about God the Father and Christ the Son. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Triune Godhead (which no one can truly explain). If God the Father is the power of love (2Co. 13:14), and God the Son is the power of grace, then God the Spirit is the power of presence. The Three work together. It is the presence that brings the love and grace close to us. Let us understand more of the personality of the Holy Spirit that we might understand and experience more of the love and grace of God that he longs to bring close to us in the power of his presence.
A. The Spirit has characteristics of personhood.
1. The Spirit has intelligence.
Isa 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--
Joh 14:26 But the Counselor, 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.
Ro 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
1Co 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
1Co 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
1Co 12:8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
2. The Spirit shows emotion.
Isa 63:10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
Ro 15:30 ¶ I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
3. The Spirit has a will.
1Co 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
B. The Spirit is distinguished among the persons of the Godhead.
1. The Spirit is distinguished from Jesus.
Joh 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
Joh 14:26 But the Counselor, 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.
Joh 15:26 ¶ "When the Counselor 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.
Joh 16:7 ¶ But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Joh 16:14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
2. The Spirit is distinguished within the Trinity.
Mt 3:16 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 lighting on him.
Mt 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Mt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Ro 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
2Co 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,
2Co 1:22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2Co 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Eph 3:14 ¶ For this reason I kneel before the Father,
Eph 3:15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
Eph 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Eph 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
2Th 2:13 ¶ But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
2Th 2:14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Pe 1:2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Jude 1:20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
C. The Spirit is referred to with personal pronouns.
Joh 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
Joh 14:17 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.
Joh 15:26 ¶ "When the Counselor 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.
Joh 16:7 ¶ But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Joh 16:8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
Joh 16:9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
Joh 16:10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
Joh 16:11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Joh 16:12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
Joh 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all 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.
Joh 16:14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Eph 1:14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory.
D. The Spirit is affected as a person.
1. The Spirit can be blasphemed.
Mt 12:31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
Mt 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Mr 3:28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.
Mr 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
2. The Spirit can be grieved.
Isa 63:10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
3. The Spirit can be insulted.
Heb 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
4. The Spirit can be lied to.
Ac 5:3 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?
Ac 5:4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
5. The Spirit can be obeyed.
Ac 10:19 ¶ While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you.
Ac 10:20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them."
Ac 10:21 Peter went down and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come?"
6. The Spirit can be quenched.
1Th 5:19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire;
7. The Spirit can be resisted.
Ac 6:9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)-- Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen,
Ac 6:10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
Ac 7:51 ¶ "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
8. The Spirit can be tested.
Ac 5:9 Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."
E. The Spirit has moral capacities.
1. The Spirit convicts the world of guilt.
Joh 16:8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
Joh 16:9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
Joh 16:10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
Joh 16:11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
2. The Spirit glorifies Christ.
Joh 16:14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
3. The Spirit guides into truth.
Joh 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all 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.
4. The Spirit intercedes.
Ro 8:26 ¶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Ro 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
5. The Spirit regenerates.
Joh 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
Joh 3:4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
6. The Spirit restrains evil.
Ge 6:3 ¶ Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
Ge 6:5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
7. The Spirit sanctifies.
Ro 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
1Co 6:11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
F. The Spirit is a distinct personality with power.
Jud 14:6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.
Jud 14:19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house.
Jud 15:14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands.
1Sa 10:10 When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying.
1Sa 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.
Lu 1:35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Lu 4:14 ¶ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
Ac 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Ac 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:
Ro 15:13 ¶ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
1Co 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,
G. The Spirit does what persons do.
1. The Spirit commissions.
Ac 11:12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house.
Ac 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Ac 13:4 ¶ The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
Ac 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
2. The Spirit communicates.
2Co 3:3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Eph 3:5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
3. The Spirit encourages.
Ac 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
4. The Spirit gives gifts.
1Co 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
1Co 12:8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
1Co 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
1Co 12:10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
1Co 12:11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
5. The Spirit leads.
Mt 4:1 ¶ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Ac 8:29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
Ac 16:6 ¶ Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
Ac 16:7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
Ro 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
6. The Spirit speaks.
Mt 10:20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Ac 1:16 and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus--
Ac 8:29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
Ac 10:19 ¶ While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you.
Ac 21:11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"
1Ti 4:1 ¶ The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Heb 3:7 ¶ So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice,
1Pe 1:11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
1Pe 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Re 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Re 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
7. The Spirit strengthens.
Ac 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
Ro 8:26 ¶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Eph 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
8. The Spirit teaches.
Lu 12:12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
Joh 14:26 But the Counselor, 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.
1Co 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
Heb 9:8 ¶ The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.
9. The Spirit testifies.
Joh 15:26 ¶ "When the Counselor 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.
Ac 5:32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
Ro 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Heb 10:15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
1Jo 4:2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
1Jo 5:6 ¶ This is the one who came by water and blood-- Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
1Jo 5:7 For there are three that testify:
1Jo 5:8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
H. The Spirit gives life.
Ps 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
Isa 32:15 till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.
Isa 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Isa 44:4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.
Eze 37:14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'"
Joh 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
Ro 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
1Pe 3:18 ¶ For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
Conclusion:
J. Hudson Taylor is quoted as saying, “We have given too much attention to methods and to machinery and to resources, and too little to the Source of Power, the filling with the Holy Ghost.”
J. B. Phillips is quoted as saying, “Every time we say, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit,’ we mean that we believe that there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.”
And A. W. Tozer said, “Before we can be filled with the Spirit, the desire to be filled must be all-consuming. It must be for the time the biggest thing in the life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out everything else. The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much of God as we actually want.”
“God dwells in a state of perpetual enthusiasm. He is delighted with all that is good and lovingly concerned about all that is wrong. He pursues His labors always in a fullness of holy zeal. No wonder the Spirit came at Pentecost as a sound of a rushing mighty wind and sat in tongues of fire on every forehead. ... Whatever else happened at Pentecost, one thing that cannot be missed by the most casual observer was the sudden upsurging of moral enthusiasm. Those first disciples burned with a steady, inward fire. They were enthusiastic to the point of complete abandon.” A. W. Tozer
“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference."
A. W. Tozer
Let us seek Holy Spirit power to make a difference here at Mayfair Bible Church. He is also God, the Three-in-One, God’s personality in close proximity.