The Holy Spirit

PILLARS: The Holy Spirit

John 16:7-15

INTRODUCTION

What’s up Central Students! This week we continue our Pillars Series as we look at the Dogma’s or Pillars of the Christian faith. The aim of this series is NOT that you would simply know more about God and have more content to debate with your friends but that you would LOVE and KNOW Intimately the God of the Bible.

Get your Bibles or Phible and turn with me to... John 16:7-15.

Let’s turn and read John 16:7-15

SERMON

1. Meet The Person of the Holy Spirit

The first truth that’s important to know God is know the PERSON of the Holy Spirit.

This past week I was listening to a podcast from George Janko. George has this affinity towards Just in Bieber in the sense that he alway wanted to meet him. When he was young and after auditioning for a role in a movie he was walking out of the building and a young boy passed him by - guess who it was? Just Bieber. The only issue is that George didn't think it was him. His own mom stopped to talk and said it was Justin but George, as a young kid just yelled for his mom to get in the car.

I think, if we’re honest, many of us are in the same boat when it comes the the Holy Spirit. We really don’t know who the Holy Spirit it or really what he does. Here’s the problem, if we are unaware of who the Holy Spirit is then do we really know and do we really love God?

Tonight, I want you to walk out of here knowing that you can notice the Holy Spirit and His work in your life and in our world.

First, let’s take note of who the Holy Spirit is NOT. The Holy Spirit is not…

A Impersonal Force or an “it” - the The Holy Spirit is not something in the air that can’t be caught or something that you posses in a bottle and use when it’s convenient for you.

Reserved for “Super” Christians - The Holy Spirit is given too all believers when they are saved. All Christian who’ve trusted in Christ for salvation are given the Holy Spirit for spiritual life and holy living.

Silent - The Holy Spirit speaks on behalf of God the father to His people and isn’t quiet about it - we’re often tuned into other noises and not the voice of God through the Holy Spirit.

A “lesser” or JV God - The Holy Spirit is just as much God as The Father and Jesus Christ. Nothing more and nothing less.

Your Servant - the Holy Spirit is not here to serve you and make your life easier but to serve the purposes of God and to make God’s people holy.

Now, let’s see who the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is…

The 3rd person of the Trinity - He is distinct form God, the father, and God the son in Jesus Christ. He is His own person within the unity of the God head. [place “Trinity Triangle” here]. This also means that the Holy Spirit is a person that can be grieved in Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” , He thinks and knows things in 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.” , He intercedes and prays on behalf of His people in Romans 8:26–27 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Divine - Meaning that He is God and Holy. He posses godlike attributes such as being omnipresent (being everywhere all the time) as we see in 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!” This is distinct and different than Jesus, who is not everywhere but sent His Spirit for that work. He’s eternal as Hebrews 9:14 “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

He is Active - The Holy Spirit is actively involved in the day to day affairs of your life, he helps you pray, you shows and teaches you truth and exposes the wrong in your life. He is in involved one of the most transformative works in your life called sanctification - where God, through the Holy Spirit is making your more Christlike in every situation.

While there is more to be said here, it’s important that you know who God, the Holy Spirit is and that he isn’t a mystical figure or thing but a person God that has been sent to make you Christlike. The reason this is important is because knowing who God is the first step in loving God - you can’t love someone you don’t know.

One of my favorite theologian Tupac Shakur said about his dad “He passed away and I didn't cry, ‘cause my anger wouldn't let me feel for a stranger". As believers we should know the person of the Holy Spirit.

2. See The Work of the Holy Spirit

The second truth is that we must see the work of the Holy Spirit. Once we know the third person of the God-head -the Holy Spirit we need to move to seeing His work in our world and in your life. What does the Holy Holy Spirit do? Look with me in your Bible at verses 8-12 that says John 16:8–12 “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” in this passage we get some of the most fundamental teaching about the work of the Holy Spirit and why Jesus left to go to the father.

Before we dig in here is what you need to know about this passage - Jesus says these words not to only give us instruction about the Holy Spirit but we need to remember that Jesus is talking to real human being who have real feelings and who have walked and lived with Jesus for nearly 3 years. The reals Jesus tells who and what the Holy Spirit is to His disciples here is because he wants to bring them comfort in his departure to heaven. We know this because in John 16:6 Jesus says these things has brought them sorrow or sadness. “these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”

One of my favorite moments at summit wknd, thats coming up in Feb, is the end where everyone has spent so much time with one another - they’ve built such a strong bond over the weekend - shared so many stories - and essentially have become family. At the end of each Summit WKND are the hugs and words of comfort and sadness because you’re getting ready to leave. In a similar way Jesus shares some of the work of the Holy Spirit as a way to comfort them.

Notice that in vv. 8-12 we see the Holy Spirit’s work in the world around us and the work He did in you. Specifically Jesus says in verse 8 that when the Holy Spirit comes he will convict the world in the 3 ways; 1) sin 2) Righteousness and 3) Judgement.

I. Conviction - vv.8-11

One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world, but not in the sense of sentencing someone to jail but conviction meaning that He CONVINCES you in these areas.

SIN:

John 16:9 “concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;”

The one sin that will bing you to hell in separation from God is your unwillingness to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of your life. The Holy Spirit convinces the world the turn to Jesus Christ for salvation.

This is why we pray for the salvation of others because we know that salvation is a complete work of God through the conviction or convincing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does the work here.

The Holy Spirit convicts convinces us of the sin of not trusting in Christ - which is not right. This is why we pray for B.O.B! We have unbelieving people all around us and God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, desires to use you as a planter and waterer to convince them towards belief in Jesus Christ - knowing that it is ultimately the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, that saves.

This also means you were only saved because the Holy Spirit has convinced you towards faith in Jesus Christ!

RIGHTEOUSNESS:

John 16:10 “concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;”

A few years ago in Texas I was a substitute at one of the high schools in my city. Each Friday I was as sub and the student came in they were happy. Why? because sometimes you can get away with some things with a sub that you can’t with the actual teacher there.

Jesus, the second person of the Godhead has left earth and has not left a substitute but has left His own spirit to continue the work of teaching his people to live right, through God the Holy Spirit. So, even though Jesus Christ has left to be with the Father, we have the Spirit of God with us and that lives in us to help us live right.

It’s the Holy Spirit that convinces us to live righteousness according the standard of Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is move us towards Christlikeness.

Some of you have not been convinced because of your own hard heart towards Christ and your prayer should be Lord make my heart soft

JUDGEMENT:

John 16:11 “concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

Jesus here means that the the Holy Spirit reveals to us that the accuser of Christians is already condemned and defeated by Christs death on the cross and that believers can be assured of their freedom from death. The world that we live in and those who live under the rule of Christ are condemned with Satan and the world.

Remember when John says in John 3:18–19 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God [conviction concerning sin]. And this is the judgment [which is the same thing mentioned in John 16]: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

The message, I think here, is that the Holy Spirit convicts and reveals that those who follow the ways of the world which are the ways of satan are judged and condemned, already.

Notice the order here though - The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us that we are broken sinners in need of saving through Christ Jesus, that conviction reveals to us that God’s way of living in righteousness is the standard in which, we not only genuinely desire as Christians and then continues to reveal to the world the we stand condemned if we remain in the world

The Holy Spirit’s work in the world includes you and I. The Holy Spirit is working in us and convincing and convicting us ongoing sin - it is the Holy Spirit that reveals the idols in your life, your pornography use is sin, disobedience to your parents is sin, how you prioritize you life - the Spirit does that work in your heart! We oftentimes OVERESTIMATE what We can do and UNDERESTIMATE what God, through the Holy Spirit can do.

Now we walk into verse 12-15 which have a different tone than the 8-11. verse 12-15 teach us specifically about the work of the Holy Spirit in the believers life specifically and those who’ve trusted in Christ for salvation.

II. Guide and Leads - v.13

Look at verse 13 - Jesus says that the Holy Spirit is the “spirit of truth” and “he will guide you into all the truth”. Another work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer that He guides us into the truth.

We live in a world right now where we are comfortable dismissing something because we don’t see it as the truth or we are offended by the truth. We want control over our life and the truth, by the standard of God’s truth, is that we don’t have a truth of our own but all truth comes from God!

Truth is not determined by what the masses say or what feels right or what everyone else is doing, which is often how we govern and live our lives but truth is determined by the one who created all of life.

God’s promise for His people is that if you are looking for truth, God will grant you revelation of the truth by the Holy Spirit and you should know that The Holy Spirit will point back to Christ as the truth.

Truth is not what feels right but its what God has said is right. This is why we must get good at being in scripture and being proficient in his word instead of being proficient in the the latest trends.

Too many of you know the latest gossip in your school instead of knowing the word of the God that you said you loved. If I’m honest it gets hard to believe you love the Lord when you give more commitment to your gaming and phone schedule than you give the one who gave you life!

IV. Glorify and Point to Christ - v.14

The last work of the Spirit that’s crucial and I want to show is that He will ALWAYS point back to Christ and glorify God. Really, this is a restating of verse 14 and John 14:6 in a way. But this is what I want you =to hear - we live in a world that ‘s quick to say “God told me” or “I feel that this is right”. I want you to seek the voice and will and follow through on what God would want you to do.

The Holy Spirit will never lead you into sin or away from Christ. the spirit will never lead you towards…

Disrespecting and disobedience to your parents

Same sex relationships

Pornography

Prioritizing sports, academic achievement, and money before God. - Side note here, sports, school, and accomplishments are tools in your belt to proclaim Christ and are not the goal itself. If your aim is to just be the best athlete or be the smartest then Satan has accomplished his task and fooled you - the purpose of life is to glorify God and just being the best DOES NOT GLORIFY but using your time on the court, in the band, in the classroom, and at work are tools and a stage to leverage and use to your advantage to make Jesus known.

The spirits work in our life does just that - reveals and guides you in how you can leverage every area for the glorify of God. The Holy Spirits work is to empower you for gospel and christlike living.

3. Live in The Power of The Holy Spirit

Now that we know who the Holy Spirit and his ministry and work in the world and in our life the question that a Christian should be asking is How can I as a believe live in the power of the Holy Spirit as God has said.

Paul says in the 5:18 to be Filled by the Holy Spirit. To live in the power of the Holy Spirit is to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit. It’s really asking the questions, who has the most influence over your life.

Notice here how Paul first says “don’t get drink” but be filled by the Holy Spirit.

[ILL] have many cups and have it filled over and over again

The point here is that when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, it’s a daily and continual filing that comes with proximity and closeness to Christ and obedience to his word.

We are lying if we say we love God and are being led by the Spirit and are living in the power of the Spirit if we fail to obey. The opposite of being scared is being led by the spirit, the opposite of not wanting to look weird is being led by the Holy Spirit - a live lived in the power of the Holy Spirit is a life lived being filled by the Holy Spirit.

CONCLUSION

Here is what I want you to know tonight - the work of the Holy Spirit is for the advantage and good for believers. The Holy Spirits work is to continue the work of Jesus Christ the son.

Tonight, I think there are a a couple ways you can respond to the word of that Christ spoke. With every head bowed and eye close

First, the primary work of Christ is that you would surrender and commit your life to Jesus. the gospel tells us that if you’re at a place in your life where you’re ready too admit that you have so much evil and wickedness in and believe that Jesus died for your sins, the Bible says that you’ll be saved to Christ and from God’s Wrath.

If you sense that that Holy Spirit is prompting you to give your life to Christ for salvation.

Second, the spirits work is that he would led and guide you into all righteousness. Is there an area of your life that needs the spirits work? Where there’s a upcoming decisions, family or relationship issues? Would you allow us to pray with you tonight?

[…] Let’s Pray