The Holy Spirit; Our Helper

Understanding who He is.

John 14:16–31 (NASB95)

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

“After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.

“In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

“Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.

“I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;

but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

The Holy Spirit is the great beautifier of souls.

John Owen

I. The person and presence of the Holy Spirit.

HOLY SPIRIT.—The Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit arises out of the experience of the Church, as it Interprets, and is itself interpreted by, the promise of the Comforter given by Jesus to His disciples (Jn 14–16). This appeal to experience follows the method adopted by St. Peter in his Pentecostal sermon (Ac 2:33). The teaching may briefly be stated as follows: The Holy Spirit is God; a Person within the Godhead; the Third Person, the knowledge of whom depends on the revelation of the Father and the Son, from both of whom He proceeds. He was in the world, and spoke by the prophets before the Word became flesh [Jesus Christ], and was Himself the agent in that creative act. Through Him the atonement was consummated. He is the life-giving presence within the universal Church, the Divine agent in its sacramental and authoritative acts; communicating Himself as a presence and power to the individual Christian; mediating to him forgiveness and new birth; nourishing, increasing, and purifying his whole personality; knitting him into the fellowship of saints; and finally, through the resurrection of the body, bringing him to the fulness of eternal life.

The Activity of the Holy Spirit

The evidences of personal action show that the Spirit is not merely a power or influence from God, but is either God himself or a divine person.

The Scriptures speak of the Spirit as in a state of activity. Gen. 1:2; Matt. 3:16; Acts 8:39. The language in these passages may be anthropomorphic, but the state of activity taught is undoubtedly real.

They declare that the Spirit teaches and gives instruction. Luke 12:12; John 14:26; 16:8, 13, 14; Acts 10:19; 1 Cor. 12:3.

The Spirit is also spoken of by them, as a witness of Christ to his people. John 15:26.

They also assert that he witnesses to believers that they are the children of God, and becomes the earnest of their inheritance. Rom. 8:16; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13, 14; 4:30.

He is spoken of as leading the sons of God. Rom. 8:14.

He is also said to dwell within them in such a way that his presence is that of God. John 14:16, 17; Rom. 8:9, 11; 1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:19.

We are taught that He is grieved. Eph. 4:30.

Ananias is charged with having lied to him. Acts 5:3.

Blasphemy against him is the unpardonable sin during the ministry of Christ here on earth. Matt. 12:31, 32.

He is spoken of as resisted by men. Acts 7:51.

Also as vexed by them. Isa. 63:10. (12.) As striving with them. Gen. 6:3. (13.) As inspiring men. Acts 2:4; 8:29; 13:2; 15:28; 2 Pet. 1:21. (14.) As interceding for them. Rom. 8:26, 27. (15.) As bestowing diversities of gifts. 1 Cor. 12:4–11.

“The Holy Spirit does not obliterate a man’s personality; He lifts it to its highest use.”

-Oswald Chamber

II. The Divinity of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 5:3–4 (NASB95)

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?

“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

A. The Third Person of the Trinity

1. In the passages which call him “the Spirit of God” and “the Spirit of the Lord,” as well as those in which God calls him “my Spirit.” These are conclusive, in like manner, as is the divinity of Christ from those which call him the Son of God. The titles “Spirit of God,” and “Spirit of the Lord,” are each used about twenty-five times in the Bible. “My Spirit” is used in reference to God’s Spirit in Gen. 6:3; Prov. 1:23; Isa. 44:3; 59:21; Ezek. 36:27; 39:29; Joel 2:28; Haggai 2:5; Zech. 4:6; Matt. 12:18; Acts 2:17, 18.

2. The writers of the New Testament declare that certain things, which in the Old Testament are ascribed to Jehovah, were said by the Spirit. Compare Acts 28:25–27, and Hebrews 3:7–9, with Isaiah 6:9, and also Heb. 9:8, with Ex. 25:1, and 30:10.

3. The sacred writers of the Old Testament were the messengers of God, and spake for him, yet the influence by which they became such is called in the New Testament the Holy Ghost. Compare Luke 1:70 with 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16, and Heb. 1:1 with 1 Peter 1:11; also Jer. 31:31, 33, 34, with Heb. 10:15–17.

4. The creation of the world is ascribed to the Spirit. Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; Ps. 104:30.

5. He is said to search, and know even the deep things of God. 1 Cor. 2:10.

6. He is spoken of as omnipresent. Ps. 139:7–10, and omniscient. Ps. 139:11; 1 Cor. 2:10.

7. The divinity of the Spirit is peculiarly proved by his influences over Christ. It having been shown that Christ the Son is God, the connection of the Spirit of God with Christ, though it were only in his human nature, is a convincing proof that the Spirit, which is not a mere power of God, but a person, as we have seen above, must be also God. (1.) In his birth. Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 1:31–35. (2.) Mental and spiritual influences from the Spirit were predicted. Isa. 11:2, and Isaiah 61:1. (a) And these were fulfilled at his baptism. Matt. 3:16; John 1:33. (b) At the time of the temptation in the wilderness. Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12. (c) In his preaching. Luke 4:14, 18–21. (d) In his casting out devils. Matt. 12:28. (3.) This spiritual influence was without measure. John 3:34.

8. The indwelling of the Spirit in the people of God is said to make them the temple of God. Compare 1 Cor. 3:16, and 6:19 with 2 Cor. 6:16, and Eph. 2:22. 9. The Spirit is expressly called God in connection with the falsehood of Ananias and Sapphira. Acts 5:3, 4, 9.

III. Our divine resource.

John 16:5–15 (NASB95)

“But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’

“But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

“But 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.

“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;

and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;

and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

“He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.

“All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

· Baptismal Medium: 1Co 12:13

· Calls to Ministry:Асts 13:2-4

· Channel of Divine Revelation2Sa 23:2; Ne 9:30; Zec 7:12; in 14:17

· Empowers Ex 31:2,3; Jdg 13:25; Ac 1:8

· Fills Lk 4:1; Ac 2:4; Eph 5:18

· Guarantees: 2Co 1:22;5:5; Eph 1:14

· Guards: 2Ti 1:14

· Helps: Jn 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7

· Illuminates:1Co 2:10-13

· Indwells: Ro 8:9-11; 1Co 3:16;6:19

· Intercedes: Ro 8:26,27

· Produces Fruit: Gal 5:22,23

· Provides Spiritual Character: Gal 5:16,18,25

· Regenerates Jn 3:5,6,8

· Restrains/Convicts of SinGe 6:3; Jn 16:8-10; Ac 7:51

· Sanctifies Ro 15:16; 1Co 6:11; 2Th 2:13

· Seals: 2Co 1:22; Eph 1:14; 4:30

· Selects Overseers: Ac 20:28

· Source of Fellowship: 2Co. 13:14;Php 2:1

· Source of Liberty: 2Co 3:17,18

· Source of Power: Eph 3:16

· Source of Unity: Eph 4:3,4

· Source of Spiritual Gifts: 1Co 12:4-11

· Teaches: Jn 14:26; Ac 15:28; 1Jn 2:20,27

In Conclusion

I want to encourage you tonight that you have a divine helper. He is here because Christ gave Him to you! He has the same attributes as God which means He knows you, He loves you, and He is here to help you.