The Holy Spirit

The study of the Holy Spirit is called pneumatology. “Pneuma” means wind or breath, so the Holy Spirit is literally the breath of God.

I dare say that most Christians have a hard time grasping the work, person, and purpose of the Holy Spirit, but studying the Holy Spirit is extremely important.

The number one reason to study the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit inspires and preserves the Bible.

2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

ALL heresies come from a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

I have said this many times, and I want you to know it is the absolute truth. All denominations should have the same “doctrine”. Why? Because when we are saved, we are given the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not going give different doctrines to different denominations.

There is not a Baptist Holy Spirit. There is not a Methodist Holy Spirit. There is not a Catholic Holy Spirit. There is not a Pentecostal Holy Spirit. There is the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will change God’s Word depending upon denominations.

Doctrinal differences between denominations come from man and man’s interpretation of the Bible and not from the Holy Spirit. If you understand the Holy Spirit, you will understand the Christian life.

Let’s examine the Holy Spirit tonight.

I. THE DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Some make a major mistake as they dismiss the deity of the Holy Spirit.

Whether or not you understand it completely, the Holy Spirit is God.

Literally, when you get saved, you have God in you. That’s why you can overcome the temptation to sin. Since the Holy Spirit is God, you know He is not going to lead you into sin but make a way to overcome that temptation. The Holy Spirit is God.

Acts 5:3–4 “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”

Peter, obviously, connects the Holy Spirit to deity. In verse 3, he said that Ananias had lied to God, and in verse 4, he makes the declaration that the Holy Spirit is God.

Here is where most people get confused.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are all God. They are all separate, yet they are all one.

The Holy Trinity is equal but separate, and the Bible establishes the “hierarchy” if you will.

The “hierarchy” is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Jesus is subordinate to the Father, and the Holy Spirit is subordinate to both Jesus and the Father.

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 15:26–27 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”

Since the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, He never speaks of Himself.

In John 15:26, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will testify of Me which means that it is the Holy Spirit that reveals to you all things regarding Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit that makes it possible for you to know God through His Word.

If the Trinity is equal, why must One be subordinate to another? They are subordinate to one another in order to carry out God’s purposes.

The Holy Spirit is God. He is no less God than Jesus is. Just as Jesus submits to the Father, the Holy Spirit submits to the Father and to Jesus. Throughout the Bible, you find many emblems of the Holy Spirit.

II. THE EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

There are many emblems of the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

A. WATER (John 7:38-39)

John 7:38–39 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

What do we know about water?

Water sustains life. You cannot live very long without water. Did you know that Holy Spirit, in the same way, sustains your spiritual life? (John 4:14)

John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Water refreshes. Man, there are some days when the only drink that will cool you off is a cold glass of water. There is a refreshing quality to it. In the same way, the Holy Spirit refreshes us. (Psalm 72:6)

Psalm 72:6 “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: As showers that water the earth.”

Water cleanses. When you take a shower, water cleanses you. (Eph. 5:26)

Ephesians 5:26 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

Just as water cleanses you daily, the Holy Spirit does through God’s Word.

B. SEAL (John 3:33)

John 3:33 “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.”

What does it mean for the Christian to be sealed by the Spirit? Let’s think about it the context of what a governmental seal did in the days the Scripture was written.

(1) A seal identifies. (2 Tim. 2:19)

Since we have been sealed, we are obligated to live like one who has been sealed. Since I am God’s property, God’s child, it is my responsibility to make sure that I never disgrace His name.

Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” (John 6:27)

John 6:27 “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

Since we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, we are identified with Jesus Christ. In the Church Age, the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to portray Jesus through our lives. Our lives are not ours. If we have trusted Jesus, our lives belong to God, and because we are sealed, the Holy Spirit’s mission is to portray Jesus through us.

(2) A seal secures. (Eph. 4:30)

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

The Holy Spirit secures our transaction with God. A Christian belongs to God forever after the transaction has been sealed.

The seal of the Holy Spirit is in earnest, a token, that the transaction will be completed at a later date.

2 Corinthians 1:22 “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”

The Holy Spirit is a _________________ on our future eternal glory in Heaven. (Eph. 1:13-14)

Ephesians 1:13–14 “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.”

C. FIRE (Deuteronomy 4:36)

Deuteronomy 4:36 “Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.”

Fire has several attributes that amplify the work of the Holy Spirit.

(1) Fire shows the presence of the Lord. (Ex. 3:2)

Exodus 3:2 “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”

(2) Fire gives light. (1 John 1:5)

1 John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Just as physical fire gives light, the Holy Spirit gives spiritual light to reveal spiritual truth.

Think about that statement for just a minute. The first time God spoke to Moses it was from a burning bush to reveal God’s will. The first time the Holy Spirit is given to believers, how does it appear?

Acts 2:3–4 “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

There are many other things I could say about fire as an emblem of the Holy Spirit, but here is the main thing about fire as an emblem of the Holy Spirit.

When you and I go through the fiery furnace of trials and tribulations, the Son of God will be there with us.

1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

III. THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORLD TODAY

The Holy Spirit is at work in this world today.

A. The Work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Jesus Christ. (John 15:26-27)

John 15:26–27 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, will reveal everything about Jesus Christ that your brains can handle.

Let me tell you how He does it.

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

The Holy Spirit cannot reveal Jesus Christ to you if you do not engage in rigorous personal Bible study.

I think that is the main reason we have such deep biblical discussions in this church. Many of you are so faithful in studying God’s Word, and that makes for some discussions among Christians.

You know Jesus, you know God as the Holy Spirit reveals Him as you study God’s Word. Do you remember what John said?

1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

I believe there are people who are saved that absolutely do not know if they are saved or lost. Why? Because they have never studied God’s Word, and because they have not the Holy Spirit has not revealed to them the truth about Jesus.

There is no substitute for God’s Word. You can learn things from other books, but you learn about Jesus from God’s Word as that knowledge is being revealed to you by the Holy Spirit.

B. The Work of the Holy Spirit is to restrain evil. (2 Thess. 2:6-7)

2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 (NASB 2020)

And you know what restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is removed.

The Holy Spirit is currently keeping the forces of Satan and evil at bay. Yes, things are terrible today, but imagine how bad things would be without the Holy Spirit.

C. The Work of the Holy Spirit is to rebuke sinners. (John 16:8-11)

John 16:8–11 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”

I said this last week, and I am going to say it again. Every person walking this planet will not an excuse in future judgment if they reject Jesus Christ. Why?

Because the Holy Spirit has rebuked every person on this planet regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment. If you are not saved, the Holy Spirit has rebuked you concerning your lost condition. He has rebuked you concerning your sin, and can I tell you what He has told you?

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Because you have fallen short of the glory of God, He has rebuked you concerning future judgment.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Holy Spirit has rebuked you concerning your future judgment, and because you have earned death because of sin, the Holy Spirit has called you to the righteousness of Jesus, and this is what He told you.

Romans 10:9–10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

As I said earlier, the Holy Spirit speaks not of Himself but what He hears from God, and He has rebuked or is rebuking you about sin, righteousness, and judgment, and what He tells you about those three are found in God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will never stray from God’s Word.

D. The Work of the Holy Spirit is to reprimand Christians. (Hebrews 12:6)

Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.””

The Holy Spirit reprimands Christians regarding sin. He does that so that your fellowship with GOd and fellow believers will not be interrupted.

The entire world would be better off if Christians took care of sin as soon as they were reprimanded about sin from the Holy Spirit.

1 John 1:8–10 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

From time-to-time, we all sin, and the Holy Spirit reprimands us immediately concerning that sin, and if we would only confess that sin as soon as we are reprimanded, we would have that sin forgiven as well as any sin that we do not know about.

The Holy Spirit is complex, and the interactions and the workings of the Holy Trinity can get very overwhelming. The Holy Spirit is God just as Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God just as God is God. They are all equal yet separate with different functions.