The Holy Spirit

Good morning, welcome to New Horizon. Please open your Bibles to John 14.

Thus far in our sermon series on the foundations of the faith, we have studied the nature, character and behavior of God the Father and God the Son.

We round out our study of the triune God by studying today the nature, character and behavior of God the Spirit, the third person of the triune godhead.

What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit?

A.W. Tozer- “The idea of the Spirit held by the average church member is so vague as to be nearly nonexistent. When he things of the matter at all, he is likely to try to imagine a nebulous substance like a wisp of invisible smoke… he wants to believe something, and not feeling up to the task of examining the whole truth in the light of Scripture he compromises by holding belief in the Spirit as far out from the center of his life as possible, letting it make no difference in anything that touches him practically.”

Maybe this is true of you. It has absolutely been true of me at various points in my journey of faith.

But, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is foundational to the life and belief of any follower of Jesus.

We push our knowledge of the Spirit and our intimacy with the Spirit to the edges our lives in the same way we might push food or oxygen to the periphery of our physical existence.

Spiritual life depends on the work of the Holy Spirit.

There is much to know, and we can’t fully understand it. But let’s see what we are able to grasp from the words of Jesus.

Read John 14:15–17- “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

Pray.

What questions are we able to begin answering from Jesus’ interaction with His disciples?

1. Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Spirit is a who.

A person of the godhead.

He has the name of God ascribed to Him.

Acts 5:3–4- “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.’”

He is present everywhere.

Psalm 139:7–8- “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!”

He knows all things.

1 Corinthians 2:10–11- “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

Sent, or proceeds, from the Father and the Son.

Cooperation between the Father and Son- I will ask, He will give.

The Holy Spirit works according to the will of the rest of the godhead.

John 16:13–14- “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. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

The Spirit speaks whatever He hears from those who have sent Him, and He will declare all that comes from Jesus.

There is no division between the three persons of the godhead.

In the same way that the Father sent the Son and the Son was sent for the purpose of the salvation of this world,

A person to be known.

The Holy Spirit is to be known, in the same way that we might say that we know the Father and we know the Son.

In fact, the presence of God that we experience in our earthly life IS the Holy Spirit.

Every way that we know and love and trust and adore and worship and honor the Father and Son is meant to be true of our relationship with the Spirit as well.

Not merely known about.

The difference between knowing about a food and enjoying a food.

When we come to the study of the Spirit, or really any part of the godhead, we recognize the limitations of our own knowledge and understanding.

We speak clearly where the Bible reveals to us knowledge, but then we steer clear of assumptions, inferences and conjecture.

Know what we can know and then engage with the Holy Spirit, enjoy the presence of the Spirit, live in light of the Spirit.

2. What does the Holy Spirit do?

The Spirit makes a difference in the lives of believers.

A distinction is made between the follower of Jesus and those who are not following Jesus.

“The world cannot receive…”

The believer is differentiated from the non-believer because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit points us to Jesus.

John 16:14- “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

J.I. Packer- “Jesus’ words indicate the self-effacing character of the Spirit; he functions as a floodlight trained on Christ, so that it is Christ, not the Spirit, whom we see. The Spirit, standing behind us as it were to throw light over our shoulder onto Jesus, constantly urges, ‘Go to him; deal with him.’”

John 14:26- “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 have said to you.”

In this way, the Spirit reveals and convinces us of the truth and reality of who Jesus is.

Jesus becomes more than a man, even a man of upstanding morality, more than just a rabbi. Jesus becomes everything to us because of the work of the Spirit.

The Spirit is the source of new life.

John 3:5–6- “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’”

This is so necessary. Once the Spirit reveals to us and convinces us of the realities of Jesus, we are given new life.

Good bones.

A life of the flesh replaced with the life of the Spirit. New goals, new purposes, new priorities, new worship.

The Spirit is our source for transformation.

Galatians 5:16-25.

Paul walks through the fruit of living according to the flesh and the fruit of living life by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25- “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

Many live as though the work of the Spirit is done once you have been saved by God’s grace.

The Bible makes clear that the work of the Spirit is just beginning.

The Spirit moves us to give witness to Jesus Christ.

The Spirit puts Jesus in our lives and on our lips.

Mark 13:11- “And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

The giving of gifts. For the purpose of building up the body of Christ in their knowledge of God and their love for Him.

3. What difference does the Holy Spirit make?

We need help.

Jesus begins our text in John 14 by stating that our love for Him is proven in keeping his commandments.

Have you considered the commandments of Jesus?

Impossibility. But it is good that this is the case.

Jesus won’t leave us alone.

How are we to know if we have the Spirit?

Many metrics have been given.

J.I. Packer- “The only sure signs are that the Christ of the Bible is acknowledged, trusted, loved for his grace, and served for his glory and that believers actually turn from sin to the life of holiness that is Christ’s image in his people.”

How do we know if we have the Spirit? Who is Jesus to you?

Trust in the promise of Jesus.

Some easily overlooked words from Jesus in what He says to his disciples.

“To be with you forever.”

“He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Jesus promises the presence of God, not only to be close or near at certain times when life and faith are going well, but to be dwelling in us for the rest of time and beyond.

The closest of friendships that we possess in this life are always in danger of ending.

We don’t know and understand promises like what Jesus gives here. But we can trust them.

If you know God’s Spirit, you will keep God’s Spirit for all of time. We are to rest peacefully in such truth.