Who and Why?

A few Wednesday’s ago, BTW if you haven’t come on a Wednesday night you are missing out on some great bible study and fellowship, a question came up about the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy Spirit? Why do we have the Holy Spirit? What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? How is the Holy Spirit part of the triune God?

I have spoken here in the pulpit about the Holy Spirit, but I feel that I may have just glanced over the subject. And since we are currently in a series about following Jesus. This is no better time then to really get into this subject in detail. If you do not understand the Holy Spirit, you truly can not follow Jesus to the fullest.

I understand that the Holy Spirit can be confusing and mysterious even. So I will take the next 3 to 4 sermons to get into the details of the Holy Spirit. Now be forewarned, I will not be taking any religious bias or orthodoxy when explaining the Holy Spirit. I will use the bible as the main textual source and explain from there. I am doing this for two important reasons, one to not stifle the Holy Spirit and two not over-exaggerate who the Spirit is.

I want to start with this quote from AW Tozer

The Holy Spirit is not a luxury meant to make deluxe Christians, as an illuminated frontispiece and a leather binding make a deluxe book. The Spirit is an imperative necessity. Only the Eternal Spirit can do eternal deeds.12

A. W. Tozer

The Holy Spirit gets a bad rap.

He’s often referred to as it.

He’s mistaken for the force from Star Wars.

He’s confused with a ghost in a horror movie.

Oftentimes, he’s just ignored or forgotten, and this makes sense.

Since he is an invisible spirit, it can be hard to relate to him and his work in our lives.

You may know him by name and know that he’s mentioned during a baptism but have no idea who he is, how he is at work in your life, or whether or not you should even care.

Let’s agree that not caring isn’t a good thing.

So today we will start this journey of understanding by answering two questions.

Who is the Holy Spirit and Why did He come?

I recently had the chance to meet someone I respect as a minister of the faith. Dr Richard Blackaby. You may know the name by the book he wrote with his dad, Henry Blackaby, Encountering God. I meet him at a Pastor conference. His message to all the pastor’s there was called “Dripping with the Holy Spirit” He was expressing that the church must get back to having the Spirit so strong in the members that it drips off of them and onto those who come in. He used Acts 1:4-8

Acts 1:4–8 CSB

While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

The Holy Spirit isn’t an idle spectator within the Trinity.

He’s been involved from the beginning in redemptive history, and here are nine different ways he’s at work in your life today, and this will help answer the who and the why.

1. He makes known the presence of Jesus

The Holy Spirit is not a rogue member of the Trinity doing his own thing.

His primary work in our life and the world today is in making known to us the personal presence of Jesus Christ.

All of his works are rooted in his aim to bring glory to Jesus Christ —not himself or us.

John 15:26 CSB

“When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me.

The Holy Spirit redirects our pursuits from aiming on ourselves to glorifying Jesus. He will lead us away from loving ourselves to loving God and others. He gives us a new purpose to love God and enjoy him forever.

2. He makes us more like Jesus

There’s one important point to make about the Holy Spirit: He’s holy.

When you call upon Christ as your savior you receive the holy spirit, then Holy Spirit produces holiness within us.

He will convict us of sin and lead us to become more like Jesus.

As we walk with the Spirit and stay in step with the Spirit, he will strip away our love for sin and make us more like Jesus.

Galatians 5:16 CSB

I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.

3. He helps us understand the Bible

The relationship of the Holy Spirit with the Bible is twofold.

He inspired the writing of the Bible 2 Peter 1:20-21

2 Peter 1:20–21 CSB

Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

and helps us to understand the Bible John 16:13

John 16:13 CSB

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.

When it comes to understanding a passage from Scripture, the Holy Spirit will help you to understand what it means and how it changes your life.

The Holy Spirit will work through your personal reading of the Bible, family and friends, and especially through the proclamation of the gospel and the Bible

So ask for the Holy Spirit to help you understand the Bible as you read and study its message.

Also, if you’re in a position of teaching the Bible to your family, friends, small group, or church, it’s a good idea to ask for the Holy Spirit to help your listeners understand the passage you are sharing.

This is what we do before service.

4. He calls you to work

The Holy Spirit not only calls people to faith in Jesus Christ, but he calls us to a specific vocation or task.

This means that the God of the universe will guide you into the vocational decisions you make. Sometimes our life will appear to be a random hodgepodge of loosely connected events tied together, but this is not the case at all. God is directing your steps and guiding your life—even when it comes to work.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will supernaturally guide us in the decisions we make. But normally, the Holy Spirit guides us through the ordinary ebbs and flows of life. As you trust God , read the Bible , and seek godly counsel , the Holy Spirit will guide you into the work he has called you to.

Proverbs 11:14 CSB

Without guidance, a people will fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance.

5. He empowers you for service

The Holy Spirit also empowers us for service.

This means he enables us to do what we’ve been called to do.

From the pages of the Old Testament we observe the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence in the lives of many to accomplish what they were called to do.

In the New Testament, we see that he empowered Jesus’ earthly ministry Luke 4:14

Luke 4:14 CSB

Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity.

,the early disciples , and the preaching of the gospel 1 Thessalonians 1:5

1 Thessalonians 1:5 CSB

because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you for your benefit,

The Holy Spirit is capable of empowering our natural abilities and improving upon them for a special task or purpose. This explains how God is capable of accomplishing his work through your average, ordinary, and even rejected members of society, which I’m personally part of. For example, Peter and John, two of the most important men in church history, were considered “unschooled, ordinary men”, yet God powerfully worked through their lives.

So take heart and be humble 1 Corinthians 1:27

1 Corinthians 1:27 CSB

Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

6. He helps you pray

The Holy Spirit is active in aiding us in our prayer life.

There will be times—not maybe—in your life as a Christian when you feel inadequate in your prayer life or have no idea what to pray for. In these moments the Holy Spirit will help us when we do not know how to pray for God’s will in a particular situation.

When you find yourself in these moments, remember to ask for the Holy Spirit to help you in your weakness. Romans 8:26-27

Romans 8:26–27 CSB

In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

7. He guides you

The Holy Spirit also guides us.

He led Jesus into the wilderness, provided direct guidance to Philip, and even later physically transported him.

Though the Holy Spirit is at work guiding us on a deep, personal level, the Scriptures do suggest that we are responsible to cooperate in his guidance by “walking according to the Spirit”.

Don’t just pray and wait for a particular feeling.

Pray and prepare for action.

Romans 8:4 CSB

in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

8. He empowers you for building the church

Jesus is alive and he is building his church.

His church isn’t built through political engagement or military might.

His church is built through the proclamation of the gospel.

Thankfully God hasn’t left us alone in his work.

He sent the Holy Spirit to empower our evangelistic efforts.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to be a witness , directs our evangelistic efforts , and empowers our evangelistic efforts ).

The Holy Spirit’s aim in glorifying Jesus Christ is fulfilled by him enabling, guiding, and empowering our proclamation of the gospel.

Acts 1:8 CSB

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9. He gives you spiritual gifts

The Holy Spirit also works through us by giving us spiritual gifts.

He doesn’t give us these gifts for our personal benefit, either.

He gives us gifts for the common good of the church . This means that we receive spiritual gifts for building up the church. He also gives us gifts so we may serve others .

At times God will reveal his glory to unbelievers through a supernatural display of spiritual gifts.

There are multiple spiritual gifts listed in the Bible .

1 Corinthians 12:7–11 CSB

A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.

We don’t get to choose what gifts we receive. They’re given to us by the Holy Spirit for his glory and the good of the church. Not to the good of the individual.

… many Christians spend a lot of time and energy in making excuses, because they have never broken through into a real offensive for God by the unlimited power of the Holy Spirit!13

A. W. Tozer